Laney's Birth: Part II: Laney's Birthday

We had to be at the hospital on the morning of April 29th at 7:30 a.m. Again, I wasn't given much instruction other than "be at the hospital at 7:30 a.m. for your induction" so I assumed I couldn't eat and therefore didn't eat. We all got up, got our stuff together for the hospital (way too much stuff) and Charley's stuff for my parent's house and headed out. Sure, it would have been easier to let Charley spend the prior night at my parent's house also, but I knew I'd want to see her this morning so I selfishly kept her home and woke her up early. She rode down to my parent's house in my lap (we just have to drive down the driveway) and apparently I was squeezing her too hard because she told me "Mama, you are squeezing me too much and choking me." Ha. Whoops! Sorry, love! We left her with my parents, had a good round of hugs, and we were on our way.

Turns out there was quite a bit of traffic at that hour so we took lots of shortcuts and back roads and finally got to the hospital at 7:35. Whoops. But made sense to be late to an induction for a late baby, no?

We met our nurses (one brand new nurse that was still learning the ropes along with another nurse with tons of experience) and got the show on the road. IV, blood taken, set me up with the monitors and all that. They also brought me graham crackers and peanut butter since I didn't eat. It was actually pretty relaxing and I played around on Facebook chatting with friends and all. John was doing much of the same - well, not the Facebook part. He was actually probably working knowing him.

Around 8:50 we were finally ready to go and Pitocin was started. I was still just 3 centimeters which I had been for 4 weeks already.

In the meantime, I was still chatting with a group of friends and everyone was throwing out baby weight, height, and birth time guesses. Most of the guesses were in the 1:00 - 4:00 range and it was seriously boggling my mind that I was going to have a real live baby in such a short amount of time. You'd think after this long that I would have had time to get used to the idea, but apparently not. I felt like I was making my guess for someone else to deliver a baby - definitely not for myself. My official guess was 7 lbs 6 oz, 21" at 1:45pm and I thought for sure I'd have another bald baby.

An hour later they had turned up Pitocin for the second time (turned it up every half hour to make sure Laney was tolerating them well) and I was definitely having contractions but they were more uncomfortable than anything. I was not in pain yet.

 

Another hour later at 11:00 I gave the go ahead to order the epidural. The contractions were still just uncomfortable, but I'd been down this road before and knew that it would be much easier to sit through "just uncomfortable" contractions while the epidural was placed versus sitting through "HOLY MOLY PAINFUL CONTRACTIONS" which I knew would be coming shortly. Again, ohhhhhhh what a leisurely labor I was leading. The only painful part so far was that they had me propped up on my side because Laney wasn't tolerating me on my back very well and that halfway on my side halfway on my back position - even with the pillow stuffed under me - was SO UNCOMFORTABLE. That was my biggest complaint thus far. My poor back was hurting - wahhhh!

Before they could place the epidural though they had to give me a fluid bolus (no idea if I'm using this grammatically correct or not) to prevent a drop in blood pressure once the epidural was placed. They needed to give me 1.5 bags, so we waited on that to take place. They weren't turning up the pitocin any longer until after the epidural was placed so they wouldn't get too painful pre-epidural. However, at 11:30 the contractions were getting pretty brutal. 2 minutes apart and definitely painful. HURRY UP PEOPLE! I want to continue my labor of luxury over here!

At some point in the next half hour (between 11;30 and 12) the anesthesiologist was in and was placing the epidural for me. I was sitting up on the side of the bed while I braced myself on John and the contractions were coming for real now. The doctor yelled at me once that every time I moved she lost her place and had to start all over. And I was trying to be such a good girl and sit still but I physically couldn't do it through a couple of those contractions. In fact, during the last one before the epidural was finally placed, I had one of my proudest moments in my lifetime. I screamed out "I THINK I'M GOING TO POOP" and then that contraction let up and I laid back down trying to joke around with everyone about it. Ohhh Lacey. Always one with words, you are. I am positive the nurses and anesthesiologist all thought I was being a huge baby because I was only 3 centimeters dilated and were thinking "Really lady? You are in that much pain already?" It was 12:02 p.m. when the epidural was officially placed.

But, to humor me and to see where we were at at this point just 3 hours into the induction, the nurse decided to check my dilation progress once I had laid back down. She felt around, and then continued to feel around and then in a very stern but very hurried tone she said to the other nurse "GO. Get a table and call the midwife. She's complete and this baby's head is coming down beneath my hand." I felt an instant sense of relief that I hadn't been imagining the intensity of those contractions I had to sit still(ish) through, and immediately following that I felt a sense of panic instead because oh my gosh now I need to push out a baby and this epidural for sure has not kicked in yet. AHHHHHHHH!

As the midwife and nurses then began to scramble to get the room ready for delivery my water broke and there was Meconium in the waters. So in came a couple more nurses as the midwife explained that Laney may not cry after birth and they may not be able to hand her to me immediately as they would need to check to be sure she didn't aspirate any of the Meconium. I had about .02 seconds to process that when a contraction came on and I immediately started pushing.

Three pushes later and Laney was here at 12:16 p.m., just 14 minutes after the anesthesiologist had left the room. And then she cleared her own lungs without the help of the extra nurses and the midwife determined her fine to hand straight to me instead.

Laney Beth ~ Born 4/29/15 at 12:16 p.m. 

7 pounds 9 ounces and 19" long

It was quick, it was unexpected, and it was definitely felt. That epidural that was placed? Yeah, they never even got a chance to hook it up or even put the catheter in. The anesthesiologist gave an initial dose of pain medication when she placed it, but the nurses say that maybe just took the edge off because of how quickly Laney came afterwards. They said I probably got the most effect from it during the stitching up time. Too little, too late! That for sure was a waste of my money. Ha!

So the stitches. Or I think just one stitch she said. The midwife told me afterwards that she doesn't think I would have needed stitches at all - except! Sweet little Laney made her entrance into the world with her hand up by her shoulder, thus increasing the width of her body which gave me a slight tear. And you want to know how exactly that hand came out? It came out with just one finger up and the other four down. The MIDDLE finger up, in fact. Yes, Laney came out flipping the bird. And at that point while the nurses laughed at the state in which she came out, I prayed that this wasn't some sign of what was to come. Laney, darling. Please be a sweetheart like Charley has been so far. I'm shaking in my boots over here on whether or not that was a sign!

She looks an awful lot like Charley except for one major thing: she has hair! When a nurse mentioned she saw dark hair during one of those pushes I continued pushing until it let up, and as soon as I could breathe again I questioned her to be sure I heard her right. "SHE HAS HAIR? DARK HAIR!?" I was so shocked. My mom has said all along that she hoped Laney would have dark hair (granted - she said the same thing throughout Charley's whole pregnancy too) and I couldn't wait to tell her that her wish came true!

One other cool thing that I forgot to mention - they said Laney was also born partially in the sac still. Obviously not fully since my water had broken, but I think that would have been really cool to see!

My parents brought Charley to the hospital just a couple of hours later and I was so anxious to see my girls together and to see Charley's reaction to Laney. Charley was so excited that morning that she was finally going to get to meet Laney that day so I couldn't wait to see if her excitement changed to uneasiness or if she would still walk into that hospital room with as much excitement as she awoke with.

Please note the shirt change between these two pictures. Courtesy of Laney's first spit-up which went all over Daddy!

   

She ended up being pretty intimidated by the whole thing - the hospital room, me in a hospital bed, just all of it. John and I talked later how her initial reaction and uneasiness just about broke both of our hearts. We love that little girl so much! She was so good though even if a little apprehensive. & she's since come around of course. So far being a big sister is very exciting for her and she loves to help out. I know very well that can change at any moment though!

 

For the rest of the day we just played pass the baby with our family and friends that visited. I just soaked it all up. So much love for the little Laney girl, and so much love from me to my friends and family that came to see her. This picture in particular is a favorite. Vince is my oldest nephew and the first grandchild and Laney is the youngest (obviously) and the last. 17 and a half years separate the two yet he still loves my two little ones much like I loved him and his brother when they were itty bitties and I was his age.

I'll post a part 3 to overshare way too many more pictures and tell how Laney's first week has been, but I'm not going to promise tomorrow like I did a couple days ago - that only seems to doom me to failure! And I know I'm going to remember a million more details that I'll want to add to this so you should probably continue checking back daily to see any revisions. Ha. 

And that, my friends, is how we became a family of four. 

Laney's Birth Story: Part I - Charley's Day

So normally a birth story starts with some impending sign of labor that has just occurred. In my case with Charley it was my water breaking and then the running around to get ourselves to the hospital and all from there. But, in Laney's case we knew we had to be at the hospital on a certain day at a certain time so the prepping began before any signs of labor had really begun so there is much more of a relaxed pace to the beginning of this story. While going two weeks early with Charley was definitely nice because  I didn't have to deal with 3 additional weeks of pregnancy, the induction was actually really nice too because it gave me a deadline to the end of Charley's only child-dom, and I definitely wanted to make that time special too. So this will actually be disappointing for those of you looking for the actual birth details - this post won't have any of that! But tomorrow's will!

So, part one of Laney's birth came the day before she actually was birthed. This was Tuesday April 28th.

Here was my last bump picture, taken that morning at 9:30 or so one day shy of 41 weeks.

I had the day off of work and decided that it should be Charley day. Today was her last day of being an only child and it made me a little sad for her in the present. I KNOW that a sibling is a huge blessing in the long run, but for the next little bit it may be tough for her (or it may not be - we will see) and that did make me a little sad. So! First thing this morning when she wandered in my bedroom at 8:00 for the third day in a row (thank you Charley! You definitely earned this Charley Day by that action alone!) I told her we could do whatever she wanted to do today. My little homebody girl simply said "I want to stay home all day and play with you.". Even with some prodding ("that's it?" "are you sure there's nothing else you want to do or anywhere you want to go?") she insisted she just wanted to stay home and play.

So stay home and play is what we did.

Breakfast was promptly delivered by my dad not 15 minutes after we woke up. (We are spoiled - we know.) After that, Charley wanted to build something with Tinkertoys in her room, and then play a game of Elefun. It was a super exciting day so far. Ha! But I was determined to continue to just follow her lead.

John called not too long after this and suggested I get my car inspected today (NC has annual inspections and mine happens to expire April 30th. Whoops! The 29th and 30th of the month were probably going to be pretty busy for us so I'm glad he called to remind me.) I asked my dad if he could take me to drop my car off because I LOATHE waiting on car maintenance stuff and he said he would. Charley was not interested in getting dressed yet or even riding with us so she went over to hang out with my mom while we went to drop the car off. My mom was in her pajamas too so they just had some morning play time together in pajamas.

When we got back, we came back home and Charley got dressed - NOT IN A DRESS! This was definitely the first time in months that she hasn't worn a dress. And it was all because I decided to hang up her t-shirts much like I hang up her dresses, and now she thinks her shirts are dresses she can wear with leggings. Okkkkkkk. Whatever works, kiddo! She picked out a fox t-shirt and some leggings and wanted to go back outside to play so outside we went.

It was such a beautiful day to be outside. We laid in the grass together. I pushed Charley in her swing. She was so lovey squeezy that she nearly choked me. Charley balance-beamed. We watched lizards. We just had fun.

 

After all that fun, Charley insisted I carry her up the sloped backyard to go back inside. I tried to explain to her how I just physically could not do this, but she wouldn't hear any of it. So if I couldn't carry her UP the hill to go inside, she decided instead that we'd walk back down to my parents house in the other direction.

We got back down there and played with my mom for a while. Went and picked up my car with my dad and came right back to play some more. It was definitely time for some lunch so we came back home again where Charley chose peanut butter and crackers and fruit for lunch. Whatever you want, kiddo! I actually had the same but with some cheese on some of my crackers instead.

From there, Charley wanted some rest time on the couch to watch My Little Pony which is usually how she forgoes a nap but still gets rest when she's home with us. She of course still naps wonderfully for my sister each day, but the best we get is some TV time and rest on the couch. When she was re-energized, she decided she would like to go to the library and pick out some new books to read. Again, I am so surprised that each thing she was choosing to do this day were so low key and FREE. Ha. So off to the library we went.

 

At the library Charley picked out 14 books to bring home and then spent a little bit of time playing in their children's areas. She did some puzzles and played with some of the toys and I had to really fight the urge to just force her to leave because I was tired of sitting there myself. But I honestly don't think she ever would have chosen to go on her own so I had to deviate from the plan of letting Charley choose it all and instead started offering bribing items to get her to leave. It started with "come on Charley - want to go check out your books all by yourself?" to "Charley - want to go to the park?" which ultimately was what bribed her to leave. The poor thing didn't really even know what a park was - she's only been a few times and when we got in the car asked if we were just going home to play on her playset in the backyard. Ha!

 

So of course she was thrilled when we got to the actual park. She had such a good time playing but she was definitely wearing herself out. I saw the end coming and it wasn't looking pretty no matter how I envisioned it. Mama may have to step in and alter the Charley day plans a little once again. Turns out a three year old still needs guidance - who knew!?

 

As predicted Charley was getting more and more tired and it was getting awfully close to dinner time and to time for John to get home from work so our time was dwindling. Charley didn't want to hear anything of it though and I ultimately had to carry her out of the park crying. Womp womp. She was just so tired and was saying heartbreaking things like "I didn't even get a chance to make any friends yet" and "I just want to stay at the park forever". But, by the time we pulled out of the park her tears were dried up and she was looking through the library books we got. Whew!

Halfway home Charley tells me she's hungry and I say that we were almost home and we'd make dinner when we got there. She very sweetly says "well what about Chick Fil A?" and I make a u-turn and head right there. I mean, what harm could one more Grilled Chicken Club and fries and a milkshake do at this point? I thought it was perfect for my last pre-Laney meal**. And I was super glad she suggested it!

 

We spent the rest of the evening with John and just packing up our stuff for the next day and playing and reading books. It was such a perfect day and I definitely went to bed with a smile on my face and I hope Charley did too. The next day she was going to all of a sudden be SO big. And everything would be different from now on. I knew it would be a good different myself, I just hoped Charley wouldn't take too long to see it the same way.

Tomorrow: Part II: Laney's Birthday



**My doctor's office didn't give me any details about the induction and whether I could eat or not that morning or what and I never called to check myself.  I assumed I couldn't have breakfast the next morning so considered the dinner the night before as my last meal pre-Laney. Turns out I could have eaten but oh well! The nurses insisted I have some graham crackers and peanut butter the next morning in the hospital before the induction got underway.

Introducing Laney

So I've been putting off this post for 3 days now because I was hoping to be able to whip up the birth story real quick and post this all as one post. But you know how time consuming newborns can be, so instead I'll just share a picture and some quick stats and hope that I can find time to type up the birth story at some point in the next few days before I forget it.

Laney was born after my induction on Wednesday April 29th. She was 7 pounds 9 ounces and 19" long. Her birth was really quick and our hospital stay was really quick too. She is such a doll and we've all been soaking up every minute with her. I can't wait to tell you more, but right now sleep is calling me. 

Here is my sweet Laney Beth. 

Overdue!

Date: April 25, 2015

Due Date: April 22, 2015

Weight gain: Today the scale said 34 pounds, which is 5 pounds heavier than just 9 days ago. I am going to blame it on the swelling that has all of a sudden shown up, and the "healthy" eating habits of the last few days.

Belly Picture:

40 weeks 3 days with Laney, taken by Charley who was kind enough to take this for me while watching Frozen

40 weeks 3 days with Charley

Photo thoughts: So weird to picture a baby that size^ currently in my belly.

Pregnancy Symptoms/How I'm feeling: Definitely feeling more uncomfortable these days. The swelling is complaint #1, but I'm awfully thankful it waited until 40 weeks to stick around. My hands and feet just hurt to bend. I also have had indigestion this week - one night in particular it was pretty bad after going out to eat Mexican that evening before and basically eating the entire thing of salsa by myself. I was REALLY testing out that spicy food thing apparently. And it definitely does not work, especially if you are used to eating spicy food as a normal part of your diet in the first place!

I am still sensitive too and can't wait for these hormones to level out. Even though I know that will still take some time even after Laney decides to join us. I'm sensitive not pregnant so I know friends and family are tip toeing around me at this point. Sorry!

Cravings: Nothing new. Just had that same old Chick Fil A sandwich for lunch a few minutes ago and it was delicious as ever. For 3 weeks now I've told myself each time I eat that sandwich that it would be the last one pre-Laney. Ha! But this time I did also get a milkshake to go with it and I'm going to call that a craving too to justify it just a tiny bit more. I HAD to have it.

Sleep: Besides the indigestion night a few days ago, I've been sleeping great again! Got a solid 9.5 hours last night which felt great!

What I’m loving/I can't live without: My phone I guess, since I've been spending more time just sitting or laying in the bed. I am so bored of it though, but I guess without it I'd be even more bored. I just know that it will also be my lifesaver in the middle of the night for the next few weeks so definitely can't live without it right now.

What I miss? Cannot wait to have a beer really soon. John was talking about having one tonight around a fire and I was pretty jealous!

What I’m anticipating/Looking forward to: Besides the obvious which WILL happen this week for sure (regardless of the fact that I've basically said this the last few times I've posted this) I absolutely cannot wait to see Charley meet Laney. Last night we sat in her room and talked about babies in general and what they require and need and how she can help me if she'd like, and no matter how much I told her she kept asking me to tell her more more more about babies. She's just the sweetest thing ever and I hope Laney is just as sweet.

What I’m stressing about/worries: Getting Laney here ASAP. I know that a due date is just a guess, but at this point for me personally I'd feel better about her being out than in. I know the placenta will continue to function for at least another week or so, but still. I don't feel that comfortable being overdue. It is basically those first few weeks all over again, although not to that extreme since she will kick me here and there to tell me everything is okay.

Milestones: 40 weeks! Being overdue is definitely not something I was anticipating at all! And the fact that I'm still feeling pretty good comparably speaking is making these "extra" days not all that bad. I mean, of course I'm anxious, but anxious AND miserable would be a lot worse.

Differences between pregnancies: We've been over this. Charley was an early bird and Laney is definitely not. After first tri, I've felt pretty good with both pregnancies.

Highlights of the week: The induction date is set for Wednesday morning the 29th at 7:30 a.m., so setting a definite end date was pretty light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnely. There was no change again this week as far as dilation and all but I was kind of expecting that this time.

Also, yesterday was my last day at work which was pretty exciting. Again, I know I've said it so many times, but I love my job and the people there. Everyone was so excited for me and they are just so flexible and understanding about anything at all. It felt nice leaving yesterday with everyone's well wishes. I'll be going back of course, but just glad that they like me enough to hold my job for me since I'm not going to qualify for FMLA due to me not being there 1 year yet.

Goal for the upcoming week: Bring home a baby. 

Movement: She really likes to move around after I get settled in bed or on the couch for a bit. If I'm out walking around outside with Charley or shopping or something, she's napping I think. And it does seem like the movement is less often overall as I'm sure she's running out of space!

Boy or girl: Girl! Laney Beth

Birthdate prediction: Ha. Wednesday the 29th.

Summary: This for sure is the last time I'll ever be filling out a little pregnancy survey even though I guess I could technically fill out one for 41 weeks on Wednesday morning before induction. Whoa! Laney tried to make her case for a third child one day by taking it so easy on me these last 2 trimesters, but even though I still feel good now, making those monthly payments on the D&Cs remind me often how awful it was to get to this point and how I really don't want to go through any of that again. Sorry, Laney. But I do appreciate the fact that I was just able to run errands with John and Charley and all that walking (something else that definitely didn't work for me!) didn't wipe me out.

I'm just excited to be done with this phase of my life - the uncertainty and pregnancy part - even though I do enjoy pregnancy and will miss parts about it for sure. I'm ready to see my family for what it will be and to envision family vacations and travel and all that comes easier once the pregnancy and infancy stages are done. Not that I won't miss the baby phase - because I love that too - but you know what I mean. Each stage has its own exciting parts and I look forward to each of them.

Since I'm done with work and I only have 64 or so unpublished blog drafts, I'll try to post daily until Laney arrives just to keep you all in the loop. If there seems to be a lull, then you can safely assume the next post will be introducing Miss Laney. Deal? Deal.

THIRTY NINE WEEKS

Well, well, well. Didn't think I'd be doing one of these again.

Date: April 15, 2015

Due Date: April 22, 2015

Weight gain: 29 pounds total.

Belly Picture:

39 weeks with Laney

39 weeks with Charley

Photo thoughts: While I actually really like the way I look pregnant - even at 39 weeks,  I prefer the 39 week picture with Charley. She was already a week old here!

Pregnancy Symptoms/How I'm feeling: Physically, I honestly cannot complain! I am more exhausted in the evenings, but pain wise I really don't have much. I'm shocked about this!

I am growing impatient and HATE that the same few people ask me daily "you're still here?!" which is met with an eye roll and a forced smile and an implied "ARE YOU OR ARE YOU NOT LOOKING AT ME WITH YOUR OWN EYES WITH THIS GIANT BELLY STILL?" So, maybe emotionally I'm a tidge grumpy.

Cravings: Just going to leave the answer here from the last time I filled this out...

Chocolate chip muffins, chocolate anything actually, and for actual food - a Chick-Fil-A Chargrilled Club with no lettuce or tomato with colby jack cheese, waffle fries with honey roasted barbecue sauce and a Dr. Pepper. I don't want to know how many of those I've eaten this pregnancy.

Sleep: Well. Ahem. Last night in particular Charley came into our room at 3:30 for no reason at all and John got up and took her back to bed for me. And that was the end of sleep for me last night. I laid there for another hour trying to go to sleep, and then finally picked up my phone to entertain myself for a while longer, and before I knew it John's alarm went off and he went to go work out and then an hour later mine did. So, sleep wasn't so great last night but the weird part is that I don't feel completely exhausted like I would think I should.

Other than last night, I do still get full nights of sleep some nights mixed with other nights where I wake up on my own around the same time (3:30) and am usually up an hour before I fall back asleep. So, it's a mixed bag in the sleep department at this stage.

What I’m loving/I can't live without: The weather? It's been perfect minus some rainy days. 70s and 80s, breezy, and the short few weeks of the warmer weather where there are NO BUGS. It's a glorious time for a mosquito magnet like me! I can't think of anything that I can't live without right now.

What I miss? My friends! HI FRIENDS! I've either not seen some most of them since before I was even pregnant or the ones I have seen I've not been able to make plans with lately, which is in no way the fault of them not asking. I guess I just kept thinking I'd have Laney at the same(ish) time as Charley and so didn't want to make plans just to break them.

What I’m anticipating/Looking forward to: Having a baby! Squishy teeny tiny newbornness coming my way SOON. Cannot. wait.

What I’m stressing about/worries: The possibility of my water breaking at work, for one. I have an emergency bag at work with a change of clothes, feminine products, a TOWEL in case of failing feminine products, and a granola bar (because what emergency bag DOESN'T include a granola bar? No emergency bag I'd want anything to do with at least.) and it is ready and waiting for said possible emergency.

And of course just anxious to get her out and have her checked over and know she's healthy.

Milestones: 39 weeks is a milestone itself since I was SO SURE I wouldn't make it this far. Ha!

Differences between pregnancies: Overall length of the pregnancy, for one. Having to time contractions, for two, since I never got to that stage with Charley. Man - timing contractions stinks. I cannot believe this is how the majority of people realize they are about to have a baby. There's got to be something easier we can do. An app for that? And not the app that times contractions. I've got that. Still too difficult.

Maybe they haven't kicked up a notch yet, but they just aren't easy to time for some reason unless I'm sitting down and focused on them. Most have been just squeezy but more and more are more crampy feeling and they still just aren't that obvious to me. Water breaking is way easier.

Highlights of the week: Got to celebrate my birthday with my family Sunday (my birthday was actually yesterday though) which was nice. I thought for sure that since I actually made plans she was going to crash them. Nope. So then I thought she was going to steal my actual birthday thunder and share a birthday with me - nope again. Oh, anyways, HIGHlights.

Other highlights have just been spending more time with Charley. She knows that it is harder for me to do things with her and she's just been so sweet. "You don't have to bend down to get that book, Mama. I'll get it." "I'll hold you hand and help you walk there Mama." And just been overall more agreeable with John doing things for her when in the past she's preferred Mama do them. She's EXTRA sweet this week and I love her for it!

 

Goals for the upcoming week: Bring home a baby.

Movement: She's all over the place. Even coworkers have seen her moving around while they stop by my desk.

Boy or girl: Girl! Laney Beth

Birthdate prediction: I'm thinking this weekend now, since my previous guess of the 8th is long gone.

Summary: We are so ready for this baby. We have completely organized and cleaned every single room of the house over the last few weeks (the basement doesn't count as a room, right?) and it has remained clean in the mean time. Hospital bag has been packed so long I feel like I need to go through it again to remind myself what I packed. Charley's going-to-my-parent's-house bag is packed and ready to go, and her big sister gift is wrapped and ready too. Laney's car seat is in the car. Her room is organized and clean and diapers and wipes are at the ready. My to-do list at work is completely done. John mowed the grass last night and planted the garden over the weekend. The swing is assembled and is in the living room. I even set up the pack n play in our bedroom and every put a clean sheet in the bassinet part. We are for sure the reason we are still waiting - we are TOO READY.

At my appointment last Friday I was 3cm and the doctor said this exactly "You will not make it until your due date" which just added to my anticipation. They also stripped membranes which obviously didn't do anything over the weekend like I'd hoped. So, if I wasn't anticipating an early arrival in my head by myself, the doctor's office amped it up even more. She said "not make it to due date" and I heard "have baby tomorrow" and she meant "have baby on or before the 21st."

I go back tomorrow and am pretty excited about that appointment too. The progress keeps it exciting for me, as well as these contractions and other symptoms of which I'll spare you the details.

But, in summary (of the summary), IT IS FOR SURE BABY TIME. YOU HEAR ME LANEY BETH?!

Carrying Laney

During Charley's pregnancy I didn't do any of the weekly (ahem....monthly) pregnancy survey things to keep up with how things progressed during her pregnancy. I think I just mentioned things here and there, and then right at the end did a big wrap up post to cover it all. The wrap up post is HERE.

So even though I did do some of those survey type posts this time with Laney, I still feel like the questions were pretty pointed in that they didn't cover everything that I covered in the wrap-up type post at the end of Charley's pregnancy so I'm going to do one of those too. & I hope this is the last pregnancy post from me - forever. Gasp!

First Trimester ---- July 16 - October 17, 2014

Man. The months of August -  October were not my favorite times ever. I briefly wrote about my first trimester here, but let's draw it out more shall we?

I wouldn't want to do it again. I was sick all day long for at least 2 months. I threw up often. At work and at home. Maybe elsewhere too? I can't remember. Although I didn't venture out of home or work often so maybe not. I'm positive it happened out of an open car door on the way to work at least. Eesh. What a miserable time.

Food obviously was touchy for those months too. I was used to  drinking a healthy kale and berry smoothie every morning up until this point, and once or twice those violently came back up and I was done with those for a while. That was for sure my most nutritious "meal" of the day so to give those up didn't feel all that great. There wasn't a whole lot that was appetizing. A couple of REALLY BAD fast food items did the trick sometimes. And muffins came into the picture here too. Chocolate chip muffins, to be exact. The GIANT ones from the grocery store bakery. And giant glasses of MILK. Weird huh? I remember going to the beach to see two of my friends and when I got there they offered me something to drink and I asked for a giant glass of milk. Of all things to want when you feel nauseous, it usually isn't milk but at that point it is just whatever works. Both the muffins and the giant glass of milk (had both today, in fact, but in addition to the smoothie) continued throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

Emotionally. So. I don't know how to describe my thoughts or my emotions this whole pregnancy. They were definitely wacky, but I guess in some way justified too? Anybody that knew I was pregnant during the first trimester and then offered congratulations was often met with a wince from me. I didn't like hearing any congratulations - it felt like they were jinxing something after my previous losses. After our first ultrasound where Laney measured only a few days behind what I was expecting, John and I argued in the waiting area while we waited to meet with the doctor across from a very pregnant lady that probably felt very uncomfortable. We argued whether or not this was yet another miscarriage. I wanted to go on believing it was - it was easier for me to think this because I had grown used to this - and he wanted to be positive this time ("it is only a few days off this time") and I just thought being positive would make it harder on me later. Rough times for my heart and brain and emotions.

And finally size wise. I was paranoid about EVERYTHING, and size was no exception. I lost 10 pounds over this first trimester and then was paranoid on why I didn't need any maternity clothing or even that I didn't have any trouble buttoning up my pants like normal. Looking back now - DUH LACEY - but at the time I thought I should at least be bloated. Not necessarily in the first trimester, but I wore regular clothing up to 20 weeks this time so it just made me scratch my head a lot. We'll see how ironic this is when I get to the third trimester section.

Second Trimester ---- October 18, 2014 - January 17, 2015

 

This trimester started out still feeling the same as the previous 13 weeks. We were in the midst of fall festival season and I remember feeling icky at several of those after having some of the food at those festivals. We got the anatomy scan scheduled for November 25th, but seeing as how my paranoia was out of control, we shelled out the cash to find out the sex of the baby a few weeks earlier on November 2nd. It had been a long time since that 8 week ultrasound and that cash was well spent for my sanity. And, of course, finding out that we were having another girl was icing on the cake. All three of us wanted Laney to be a girl so obviously we were all happy about that. Not that a healthy boy wouldn't have made us happy, but I am a firm believer that you are allowed to have a preference and still wish for a healthy baby. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Okay! So, this trimester was already starting off pretty good! Sometime between fall festivals and that elective ultrasound, the paranoia died down (not all the way though), the nausea went away and things were looking up! I announced on Facebook and here and was slowly starting to accept congratulations without wincing. Then we had our anatomy scan on the 25th of November and I had a lot riding on this appointment. I knew we were having a girl and I knew she was still growing, but I feared that something else may be wrong. It was just a mindset that was hard to break free of after so many disappointing ultrasounds. At this point prior to Laney's anatomy scan, I'd had 10 ultrasounds in my life, and at least 6 of those had been bad news or questionable news. So I didn't love going into that ultrasound room. I told myself if everything was okay here that I would finally start to believe this was going to happen and move forward with planning for a baby. And the good news was that everything was good! Laney was healthy and growing and this was happening. Hallelujah.

Emotionally this trimester was about half and half. Same as first trimester pre-ultrasound, and post-ultrasound I was obviously much happier, but I still didn't like talking about pregnancy much. I still don't know why I've been like this. I have definitely been grumpier all along too. Luckily anyone around me has given me a pass on this front.

Symptom wise was pretty good this trimester too. I had that one itsy bitsy little blackout episode (darn Cinnamon Toast Crunch!) and then the beginning of some back and tailbone pain, but that was really it. The belly started to become a more profound pregnancy belly versus "does she have a beer belly or is she pregnant?" around this time also. Though I was still hiding it to discourage conversation about it. Me = weird.

Third Trimester ---- January 18 - NOW

 

So this last little bit has been really good. I knew that second+ pregnancies brought along the pain and discomfort earlier so I was prepared for that but surprisingly it really hasn't been bad at all. I've had to rest more and my energy definitely depletes a lot quicker, but it has been manageable. My biggest complaints have been the shortness of breath and tailbone or back pain, and those things have really just been within the last few weeks so I feel very lucky in this department.

Laney, like her big sister, has never had any movement that was painful to me. I don't know why this is but I've never been kicked hard in the ribs or anything like that. Just sweet little rolls for the most part. Charley was sunny side up and sometimes I feel like Laney may be too - so maybe that is why? Like her feet movements kick the outside of my belly instead of my insides? Who knows. She is most active when I'm sitting down relaxing or laying down in the evenings. Caffeine (obviously) and just cold water seem to wake her up the most. And her big sister loves to feel her move. If she's not moving Charley loves to scream "WAKE UP LANEY" into the womb. She will definitely know her sister's voice when she is born.

The swelling has been nothing like it was during Charley's pregnancy. I've had some fat feet and ankles randomly here and there (usually on the warmer days we've had lately) but they go away by morning. Of course Charley was born in September after a really hot summer so I know that has a ton to do with it. I did take off my rings last week though. They weren't coming off as easily as I liked and that made me panic so I took them off and never looked back.

I haven't weighed myself in about a week I think, but I was up about 25 pounds from pre-pregnancy weight at the time. I started out this pregnancy 10 pounds heavier than I was pre-Charley, so ultimately I'm ending right at the same weight. Well, there could be 2 more weeks to go so I'm sure I have it in me to go above and beyond in this department.

Stretch marks - I'm not sure. I THINK there are a few new ones forming around my belly button but I had a bunch from Charley on my lower belly so I can't tell if any of those are new or not. What difference does it make if I already had some anyways?

I've had Braxton Hicks contractions for the whole trimester at least. Nothing real though.

Emotionally in this trimester - the grump continued and so did the sensitivities. I'm sensitive anyways, but it was definitely easier to touch on the sensitive side these last couple of months. Tears have been just hanging out right behind my eyes just WAITING to pour out. Those suckers are hard to stop sometimes too. I've been extra sensitive about my size - even though I honestly don't feel THAT big. I just didn't like it being brought up at all. Which is the irony I mentioned way up there in the first trimester section.

And when I was checked 2 weeks ago I was 1 cm and 50% effaced. I know the entire internet really wanted to know that about my lady bits, so you are welcome. But I haven't been back to the doctor since and don't have an appointment until Friday (they were way overbooked or something. Jerks.), so not sure if there is more progress or not. When they told me my next appointment would be the 10th I snickered because I thought for sure she'd be here by then. She's still got time to meet that deadline, but I just don't feel like it is coming that soon. But of course John didn't feel Charley was coming that soon either when he ran off to Home Depot and left his cell phone at home. So, I'll just continue to wait and be anxious.

And I think that is it! A second (and last!) pregnancy in just 1,900 words.

As of TOMORROW, that will be the most pregnant I've been as Charley was born at 38 weeks gestation. So this could really happen anyyy time now. But it won't - because we are way too prepared this time. I'll be back in 2 weeks with a 40 week post looking for sympathy. I just want to meet this little lady and see Charley as a big sister already. And I want to experience that feeling of my heart growing because right now I just cannot fathom loving another kid as much as I love Charley. I know that's normal, but I am just anxious to experience it for myself.

36 Weeks

Date: March 24, 2015

Due Date: April 22, 2015

Weight gain: 24 pounds, plus the 10 I lost and regained for a grand total of 34. I gained 42 total with Charley so will probably gain less overall this time yet I look bigger in the belly at least. I was pretty swollen with Charley so maybe the difference was the extra water weight? Who knows.

Belly Shot:

Laney Bump - one day shy of 36 weeks.

Charley bump one day shy of 36 weeks - and I showed this to a friend last week who thought I was wearing a super short dress. I assure you those are just sleep shorts. Ha! 

Photo thoughts: I definitely look bigger this time around, which should be expected I suppose. Belly just seems much more round in all directions.

Pregnancy Symptoms/How I'm feeling: I still feel pretty good, surprisingly. Which makes me think that a) labor is still a long way away and b) that this is just the universe saying it is sorry for the path it put me on to get to this point. Thanks, universe, I appreciate it!

Actual symptoms are back pain, some occasional swelling - but no where near like I had with Charley, and shortness of breath - likely because she is sitting so high up in my lungs. That's really not too bad, huh?

Cravings: Chocolate chip muffins, chocolate anything actually, and for actual food - a Chick-Fil-A Chargrilled Club with no lettuce or tomato with colby jack cheese, waffle fries with honey roasted barbecue sauce and a Dr. Pepper. I don't want to know how many of those I've eaten this pregnancy.

Sleep: Still loving my pregnancy pillow and really give it tons of credit for the good sleep I'm still getting. Sleep definitely isn't as solid as pre-pregnancy as I wake up a little while maneuvering myself from one side to the other or wake up some when I have indigestion, but I don't think I have the right to complain about this department at all.

What I’m loving/I can't live without: Heating pad, I guess? I love sitting back against that in the evenings. Oh and the support belt is a huge help too.

What I miss? Being able to go anywhere without people wanting to talk to me about the pregnancy. Ha. Here were three conversations I had in three consecutive days this week:

Saturday at a fast food restaurant: "You look so cute! Your belly is so tiny!" (Okay, so I truly didn't mind this conversation at all. I want to clone this woman and put one of her everywhere I go!)

Sunday at a baby shower: "When are you due? (me: one month from today) "Oh yeah I was going to say because you are really big."

Monday at work: "Whoa! I had to do a double take! I didn't even know you were pregnant!" (I didn't mind this conversation at all either - especially since I see that salesman pretty often!)

What I’m anticipating/Looking forward to: Doing some last fun things with Charley as a family of 3. Easter egg hunts, going to the local theme park, dying eggs, etc.

And my sisters and mom are throwing me a little "sprinkle" on Saturday which should be fun!

And! John's work is throwing a full blown shower next Tuesday which I'm excited about. They gave us one for Charley too and it was really nice, so I was surprised when they wanted to do another one. I threw together a registry super quick-like!

What I’m stressing about/worries: Just getting my work done before I go into labor. I hate to leave things open for someone else to finish up not knowing where I left off or anything. But, since I can't predict when it will happen and it is impossible to just have everything done every single day before I leave, I just need to let go of that worry a little bit. This is a "me" problem because I know my boss would not care and would get whatever taken care of.

Also, the whole budget while I'm out of work. I have absolutely NO IDEA when or how much I'll get paid while out because it is very complicated. I remember having some of this with Charley too, but my old employer had a more straightforward plan so even though I didn't know down to the penny what I'd bring home, I knew roughly what it would be and when it would be. Using short term disability and then just relying on working from home if/when/as I can is a total crap-shoot as far as budgeting purposes. I don't know if I will feel up to it, or WHEN I'll feel up to it or anything, so therefore I know nothing about if or when I'll get paid and that makes my budget really scary! 

Milestones: Just about full-term, which is just insane. And when choosing the Charley bump picture to compare to, there was just ONE MORE after that one. This really just is not sinking in for me.

Differences between pregnancies: Not a whole lot. I feel similar in the way I'm carrying and she seems to move similarly too, even maybe a little less than Charley did.

Highlights of the week: Much like what I'm looking forward to in the next weeks, the things I most enjoyed of the past week (or month) are just all of the things, big and small, that we have done with Charley. Whether it was just watching her drive around in her car outside, taking a little trip to the library, hiding/finding Easter eggs with her or just snuggling with her, she is such a joy and we have so much fun together. I feel the need to maximize all fun with her because I know I personally won't be able to do as much when Laney gets here - at least for a few weeks - so it is probably more for me than it is for her, but she is for sure reaping the benefits.

Goals for the upcoming week: Want to make some busy bags for Charley to do while I'm out on maternity leave so need to get those together. Also, would LOVE to come up with just a few freezer meals or at least some grocery lists to keep our house more stocked with food. I remember with Charley that we just do not keep enough food in our house for someone to be there full-time. I think it was mainly snack stuff we just didn't keep on hand enough because we truly don't eat out much at all for any meals (well, okay, except for that Chick-Fil-A addiction I've developed).

Movement: Still a good bit when I lay down at night or sit still in front of the TV in the evenings or something. Not much when I'm out and about.

Boy or girl: Girl! Laney Beth

Birthdate prediction: I am jinxing this, I know, but I still feel like she's going to be a couple weeks early just because Charley was. That puts me at April 8th-ish.

Summary: Since I really only manage to do these monthly this very well could be the LAST pregnancy update. Insanity. Tomorrow starts weekly appointments. 29 days until my due date. Charley was 13 days early, so if Laney follows suit that 29 days may just be 16 days! Whattt!? We are basically ready though. I even put the swing together last night and it is now sitting in my living room. Everything has been washed and her drawers are crammed full (seriously - the amount of 0-3 month stuff we have is insane) and the blankets are washed and stacked high in her closet (that's another area of WAY EXCESSIVENESS.) I even packed a hospital bag this weekend instead of waiting around and doing it after my water had broken like last time. All of this preparedness can only mean that she will be late though, right?

I am feeling pretty emotional about Charley's last days of only child-dom winding down but am excited to see her as a big sister. I think she will be an awesome big sister - most likely a pretty bossy one - but awesome nonetheless.

And now - we wait for Laney!

The Last Month

The title of this makes me chuckle - this post is about the last month of my life, however it could also mean that I'm entering the last month of this pregnancy. Hehe! Double meanings are so clever.

Anyways, I just knew my next post would be about the nursery. Ha! Really hoping this weekend I can get that done.

Instead, another catch-up type post.

We've been to the zoo and a children's museum, spring has now sprung shortly after we had a tiny bit of (our only) winterish weather this winter, I bought Charley some Disney princess sheets (!!), we visited an aquarium, took Charley to a sibling class at the hospital and John took her to a little building class at Home Depot, and we've just spent a lot of time at home since we've last spoken.

And then this stuff, too:

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Last night I had to run to Target because spring is all of a sudden here! I've gotten Charley quite a few dresses for summer (not even going to bother buying shorts at this point - it'd be a waste of money) but they are all sleeveless because that is what we need for the majority of the spring/summer down here. But, it's not quite sleeveless weather yet so needed some plain tees to wear under the dresses for now. 

I have had this issue every single year since Charley has been here, yet I return to Target every single spring looking for the same thing that just isn't there. PLAIN tees, Target. No bows, no lace, and good grief no graphics. Just a plain tee was all I needed and the baby/toddler section was a huge disappointment yet again.

I was just about to leave defeated when I remembered Charley is in a 4T now, which is justttt shy of the size 4 in the big girl's department so I wandered over to the other side where people with BIG kids shop. What do ya know? PLAIN tees and the only difference in sizing was the length. So I purchased something from the BIG GIRLS department and I nearly shed a tear. Good thing we get to start all over in the baby department really soon!

And yeah, they fit perfectly. My bayyyybeeee.

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Have I mentioned lately how much I love my new job? Because I really do. It makes me happy. Even if the pennies I'll get while on maternity "leave" (I say "leave" because I'll take a laptop home with me and work when I can/if I can/if I want to - they are pretty flexible) will make it a couple of rough months in the budget - I still would take this 10 times over staying at the old job. Which, the old job didn't make me UNhappy either - I just didn't know how much better I could have it.

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Have I mentioned here before how I am anti-plastic in food/drinkware? Because I am. I don't use many plastics ESPECIALLY anything that has to be reheated. Ack! So naturally, we are going with glass bottles this time and I'm pretty excited about it. The things that excite me these days are pretty lame huh?

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During the winter my mom and I have to get our thriftiness fix at second-hand shops and thrift shops while it is not yet yard sale season. I feel like I've gotten some pretty good stuff too! 

We are nearing complete in replacing all of the hideous builder light fixtures in the house. The bathrooms still had those awful Hollywood lights, so I scooped these up so fast when I spotted them at the Habitat For Humanity ReStore for only $10 each! And then I had to come home and look them up on Lowe's website where they are priced for a lovely $78 each. Score!

And we had to find a new dresser or something for Charley's room because the one she had worked so great as a changing table we wanted to use that one again in Laney's room instead. I started out looking for just a dresser when I decided a wardrobe would be more fun. I found this one at the same Habitat for Humanity ReStore and one day we'll finish it up and I'll share an after picture with you, because the before requires you to use quite a bit of imagination to see its value. I paid $80 for it.

This is a horrible picture, but one more favorite thrifted item I've gotten lately is this old antique baby stroller which I'm using as decoration in Laney's nursery. It was only $8 or $10 or something. Yay!

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We are going to Disney in October! I can NOT wait. It's not a long trip - just a long weekend - but Charley is going to be so beyond thrilled with it all. My parents are also coming because they want to see Charley's reaction too, and of course help out with Laney. 

We are already talking about it with Charley so there will be no "surprise! We're going to the airport to go to Disney" video. We don't have much patience and luckily she isn't the type of kid to ask about it daily. Although she HAS been planning her birthday party for a few months already and we still have 6 months to go for that one.

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And finally - 34 weeks! Whoa!

I didn't feel like doing the whole weekly survey thing again. Basically I am getting to the point where I get winded from walking all of 6 feet and I actually have some acid reflux here and there too - which I've never really had before. I had some last night which woke me up around 4, and even though the obvious culprit seems to be the Mexican food we had for dinner, I seriously think chocolate seems to be the common denominator every time I have it. Not cool, body, not cool. And despite appearances I am measuring right on track, but they only measure the front bump and not the back hump so I can't comment on the size of that at this point. 

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Now, next up, nursery! Finishing it up THIS WEEKEND. Darn it!

30 weeks

Date: February 11, 2015

Due Date: April 22, 2015

Weight gain: 15 pounds, plus the 10 I lost and regained for a grand total of 25.

Belly Shot:

Laney Bump

Charley bump

Photo thoughts: Umm guys. I am hoping it is just the fact that I was wearing the slimming color of black for the 30 week Charley picture, but this 30 week Laney bump is definitely bigger to me. And I have a bit more proof of the larger size that I'll get to in a second.

Pregnancy Symptoms/How I'm feeling: Really pretty great! Lots more grunting to roll over, bend down, put on socks and shoes and anything else other than sit in one position but I honestly cannot complain yet. My back does hurt, sure, but it's not unbearable and the support belt does help a lot with that.

Cravings: I am still wanting dessert with every meal. It's insane. I don't give in with every meal thankfully but as soon as the last bite of non-dessert food enters my mouth I'm thinking about my next hit of sugar.

I have been a TEENSY bit nauseous and not wanting to eat dinners lately similar to first trimester, but no where near as bad. It kind of just feels like there isn't any room for any more food after lunch or an afternoon snack so dinner is either pretty small or a couple of times not at all.

Sleep: Besides the difficulties rolling over (why do I need to sit up to help myself roll from right to left but I can roll from left to right without no where near as much effort?) it's still pretty good in the sleep department too. My pregnancy pillow is THE BEST and I'm so grateful that on top of having the huge effort to roll myself over several times a night, I don't need to drag the pillow with me as it envelops me on both sides. Thanks sister for this hand-me-down. Best ever!

What I’m loving/I can't live without: All the sweets. & the hints of springtime we've had lately which make me realize just how soon this is all happening.

What I miss? Can't really think of anything this month.

What I’m anticipating/Looking forward to: I signed Charley and I up to go to a sibling class at the hospital that I'm pretty excited about. I think she's going to love it based on how much she's talked about being a big sister lately. Also looking forward to finishing the nursery - although I really haven't gotten much further than the last time I shared with you. Soon though - soon!

Also, I struggled with whether to put this here in the 'looking forward to' category or below in the 'what I'm stressing about' category but I think it definitely belongs more here than there. So, at my doctor's appointment last week I was measuring a few weeks too big! Only 2 weeks before that I was measuring right on track so the doctor said it very well could just be the way she was laying. And then when I combine that with the fact that I just seem to look bigger, it makes me wonder. But, the 'looking forward to' part comes in when he said that if I'm still measuring larger at the next appointment on the 25th (had to go 3 weeks in between this time because they want me back on track with their schedule) that they will just repeat the ultrasound. So, I'm excited to either be measuring on track again and if not, then getting a bonus ultrasound.

Can I look forward to one more thing? I started going through Charley's baby clothing last week and since they are complete opposite seasons I have already started a stack of things that will not work at all (newborn sized Halloween outfits, 3 month Christmas things, etc) and I am giddy about getting closer to purging baby stuff. A huge part of our basement is taken up by baby clothing and baby gear and I can finally see the light at the end of that tunnel.

What I’m stressing about/worries: Nothing at the moment! Give me a few more minutes to think about it and I'm sure I'll come up with a list though. It's my nature.

Milestones: Passed the gestational diabetes test with flying colors! Yah!

Aha Moment: Don't recall any aha-ing this month.

Differences between pregnancies: Not a whole lot to be honest. I feel like Laney's movements are similar in quantity and gentle-ness to Charley's and besides the possible size difference, I feel like I'm carrying similar (higher) also.

Highlights of the week: Had a fantastic time meeting up with a friend and her sons at the children's museum AND the zoo (in the same day!) last weekend and hope to be able to keep doing fun things like that with Charley as her days of only child-dom wind down.

Goals for the upcoming week: More house organizing and cleaning, more nursery decorating, and need to sell/purge some stuff too. Definitely feeling nestier lately.

Movement: Lots. Nothing painful, but plenty that is making me scratch my head wondering WHAT body part I just felt. I really cannot tell at all.

Boy or girl: Girl! Laney Beth

Birthdate prediction: I'm gonna go with sometime in April.

Summary: I cannot believe the size of some of those newborn things I started dragging out last week. I feel certain that I was a little happy with the dryer settings the last time those things were washed and they all shrunk to Barbie doll sized clothing. No way my itty bitty Charley used to fit in those things. No. Way.

And even though I've mentioned a time or two before about not being certain about being done after 2 children (not to worry - John was more than certain for the both of us), I am feeling more and more confident that I'm ready to move to the next phase of family-hood where we don't have to plan around pregnancies or possible pregnancies or whether or not we can/should take an infant here or there. I opted out of several things the last two years because planning is just hard to do in this phase of life. And I miss several of my friends also. There are several friends that we get together and drinks are usually involved and if I can't be involved in that part I usually will just sit out lest I be annoyed with them all night. (kidding....sort of!) With all of the miscarriages and now pregnancy over the last 2 years, I've skipped out on a bunch and I'd like to have somewhat of my own life back a little bit. I think I'm ready to leave this phase of our lives behind. Not that I won't miss pregnancy and itty bitty babies though. That's my one hangup. I don't mind this part either so it's hard to make a decision to be done with something FOREVER. Anyways. That was way more of a tangent than a summary. Forgive me?

If I keep this up monthly as I have been doing, then only 2 or 3 left! Holy moly!