Hiking Along the Potomac...

William fishing for his breakfast...

Hauling logs in the woods...

We think this is a "Virginia Bluebell" but don't quote us....

William was planning on bringing home this large rock to me, Thankfully Jason persuaded him not to...

William looks disappointed as his fruit snack falls off the rock...

The Potomac River. William told me that the water was "rushing really fast" when he got home.

William insisted on hauling the backpack for a while. He was a little staggery...

Will got a gingerbread man at the store on the way home and brought it into bed with me, along with the crumbs...

Since I am stuck here at home, on my left side, Jason took William out for some fun and energy burning. I love how close we are to the Potomac. We have so many trails around and the tow path less than 15 minutes from our house! William loves hiking and came back home very excited. He saw a spider, a bumble bee, and a chipmunk, which he was eager to tell me all about. He was also thrilled he got to go peepee in the woods, a highlight of any little boy. I was sad to miss out on all this fun, but honestly, I don't think I could have made it at this point.

Not Sure What to Think...

Sorry it's been so long without an update. Things have been crazy around here. I am now officially on bedrest, only being allowed to get up for meals, appointments and bathing. It stinks. Jason and I are trying to work this out the best we can, and I have had some help from a friend, thank goodness! William is trying his best to behave, but Friday was really rough and I am not quite sure how I am going to make it for the next few weeks. Molly is coming a week early, thankfully and at this point I am not sure what will happen next. I seem to have developed mild pre-eclampsia. My platelets are low, my blood pressure keeps going up, I am putting on pounds of fluid in days, and I basically feel terrible. I spent 4 hours in the hospital today getting new labs and another ultrasound. Thursday, I really thought they were going to take Charlie, and I was so scared, because he was only 36 weeks, and the lungs are kinda ready at that point, but not completely. My biggest fear is not having my baby go home with me again and having Charlie in the NICU like William was. I am just very thankful at this point that we can just wait and see and with careful living on my part, and careful monitoring of Charlie, he and I will both make it through this safely. I am also very grateful for good insurance!

Random William Moments...

Finger Painting in the lovely 74 degree weather... Just a few days later, bundled up against the cold!

Making Glitter Glue Worms...

Exploring the Bamboo at the Zoo...

Looking Cute!

William and I have been cooped up in the house far too much lately. I braved the weather and contractions and went to the zoo for a couple of hours with him yesterday. It was fun, and not crowded. We spent a lot of time with the invertebrates and the reptiles, including seeing a Boa Constrictor eat a rabbit. Thankfully, the rabbit had already been put out of it's misery before being given to the snake. Or maybe it was put in the cage alive, took one look at the snake and died from the shock! It was too much for me, so we didn't stay long. After that we ran over to Sam's Club because we needed a new battery for the car. Thankfully, I brought out the old receipt for the previous one (3 years ago) and they replaced it for FREE! Whoo hoo! They have a 3 year warranty and we were just in under the wire. It took about 2 hours to replace the dumb thing though, so by the end William and I were getting a little nuts. I am glad we have a new, trustworthy battery though, before the baby comes. I would hate to go out to the car in labor and it won't turn over!

Check In With Charlie...

Another Biophysical profile this morning. Only 5 more to go at most! Charlie is just like William and ALWAYS has his hands up by his face. William did that at almost every ultrasound and continued to do that after he was born. The second picture shows his hand pretty clearly in front of his face. The top picture shows him grimacing a bit after the ultrasound tech was encouraging him to move it so she could see a good shot of the umbilical cord. The cord is what is just to the right of his face. Everything looked good today except for my fluid level was down a bit. I need to drink more fluids, but I feel like I am in the bathroom every 20 minutes already! They want me to get at least 3 liters in every day at minimum. Yikes! 37 days left...hopefully not too many more than that!

Sleeping Beauty...

William has not napped for almost a year now. Sure he drops off occasionally in the car, but even that is really rare. All of a sudden, the last 3 days he has napped. The only problem is that he is falling asleep at 4pm, and sleeping for about 1 and a 1/2 hours. This is REALLY messing up bedtime. Last night he didn't fall asleep till 10:30! I can't figure out if he is growing, or still recovering from his virus, or what. I am loving having a little quiet time again, but I would enjoy sticking with our old bedtime of 8pm. I guess I will have to find a solution if it continues.
As for baby, I am feeling that nesting urge something awful! I want to get all my loose ends tied up and hunker down to welcome this little boy. I met with my midwife yesterday and she gave me all sorts of homework for the next 6 weeks. I am feeling very confident about the VBAC and I am feeling more and more ready to be a mom of 2 little boys. I have all his little clothes washed and ready and his little bed made and ready to go. I realized though that this is certainly not going to be the same as it was the first time around. I brought home this lovely cream colored bouncer, took off the cover and washed it, then lovingly put it all back together. About 2 minutes later, after William came over to check it out, it was covered with Goldfish Cracker dust. Do I take it apart again and redo all that? Nah. I just chalked it up to the way it will be for baby number 2. Poor Charlie....

Weekly Update...

My weekly trips for "Biophysical Profiles" have begun. I am not thrilled that I am at an increased risk for problems, but I must say I LOVE seeing Charlie every week! Everything continues to look good, and I got to see him open and close his hand today and breathe in and out. It was very cool. I ended up going on my own today and I must say I got a lot more out of it that I do when William is there. I will bring him to the rest of the visits though, I like him to see the baby on the screen, and he gets a big kick out of it. Charlie was estimated at 5 pounds today which is exactly what I expected to hear. That still puts him on track for an 8 pound birth weight. More pictures next Monday!

On the Road to Recovery...

William has been quite sick for the last few days, but today he seemed peppy enough to get out and about. The weather was PERFECT, so we took full advantage and went to the Nature Center. We took a hike and turned over many logs, but were only rewarded with some grubs and worms. It seems like all the creepy crawlies were still hibernating deeper underground. I promised William we will come back in a few weeks and look again. We finished the day with Corned Beef and Cabbage like all good Irish/Jewish Americans. Happy St Patricks Day!