21 Weeks

We are now at 21 weeks with Graham! He is moving around like crazy, kicking and getting stronger. Some of his kicks hurt! I am doing much better on the pain level/cramping which is a relief. It takes much more and longer for the pain to come and typically the pain level is about half. Unfortunately since it takes longer for the pain to come unless if I am really careful I tend to keep going and then get hit pretty bad with pain but for the most part if I remember to rest, not pick up Peyton, not do any household chores, I can get through the day!
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Also, so exciting this week....my college roommate/maid of honor and good friend Megan (I went to her wedding 26 pregnant with Peyton) found out they were having a boy! She is due a week after me and I am so excited to be going through this adventure with her and excited that we are both having little boys!

This week has been pretty calm and we spent a bunch of time working on the nursery and made HUGE strides with it! I know it is a little crazy to be working on it so early but I have all of the stuff (furniture etc) and I figured that with my pain levels and not knowing what the rest of this pregnancy has in store for me, we should work on it while I am able to help (mostly give direction). I am in LOVE with his nursery! I love sitting in their, praying for him and just being still and feeling him kick and bonding with him! We have the crib, bookcase (with toys/books organized), rug, dresser, glidder, curtains up and even most of his clothes washed and organized (mostly since that was the only task I could really help with). I have some small craft projects to do this week, order some stuff off Etsy, get a lamp and my mom and I need to finish the bed skirt and bumper pad but I am so excited! I will post pictures soon!

Today we went on a tour of the hospital. I will actually delivering at a different hospital than with Peyton because my doctor has moved practices. I was a little nervous about being at a different hospital since I had a great experience at Clear Lake Regional but after our tour I feel much better and am comfortable at Memorial Herman Southeast and it allows me to stay with my doctor that I trust and like. I did start getting a little nervous about the whole idea of going through the c-section again, the fear of getting the epidural and the recovery but I just need to pray for peace and comfort. It was also a super crazy experience talking with John about how we will work out childcare for Peyton while we are there, the whole process of bringing her to see the baby for the first time and just the expectations etc for the birth of Graham. Last time it was just us, family and friends....now we have such an important other person to consider!

We have been talking a bunch about how to make this transition easier for Peyton and here is what we have so far....One of the reasons I also started on the nursery early is so Peyton and I could talk about Graham's bed, room etc and use her baby dolls on the bouncer etc so she isn't so possessive of her stuff. She already said, "my bed," when she saw the crib and she hasn't been in it for over 6 months. We told her it was for the baby and we put her baby doll in it and now she hasn't said anything. We are going to start reading more books about babies, being a big sister starting in January and also get out more baby stuff (swing, carseat) to help get her used to seeing everything.

As for at the hospital....we are going to wait until the next morning for her to come so I can recover from the c-section and let the drugs wear off a little, then the hospital gives Big Sister's their own little special bracelet (like mommy's and the babies) and even a little birthday cake to bring to the baby to help celebrate! When Peyton comes she will be coming with my parents and it will be just them and John and I so it isn't overwhelming. I also want to make sure that I am not holding the baby so I can greet her and love on her first and then show her the baby (sounds silly but it is similar to how we introduced Peyton to Titus). We are also going to give my parents a present for Peyton to bring to the baby and we are going to have a present waiting for her from Graham. Does anyone have any other suggestions for making the first meeting and just whole process easier for her?

This week is really slow which is good for my pain levels but bad because I get bored. I will probably work some on the little projects for the nursery and also finish some projects that I have been meaning to do in Peyton's room (finish sewing a bed skirt and lining her curtains). Have a wonderful week everyone!