our week through iPhone - week 94

another week as a family of four!

we didn't really get out as much this week... i feel like i kinda went backwards in my recovery this week & just needed to spend more time taking it easy.  so there were lots of snuggles around the house, naps & short walks to the neighborhood park.  it still made for a pretty good week.

except i had to say goodbye to my parents this week... boo!  i am so grateful to my mom & dad for helping us transition into this new normal with elliot.  they put up with my moody/hormonal self & cheered me on as i was having a few post-labor low points.  they did laundry & dishes, made food & played with parker.  thank you doesn't express my gratitude enough!!  love you guys, so much.

and then sam's parents got here!  not sure how i didn't get any pictures of them, don't worry, i'll find a way to get them in here next week.  i'm seriously not sure how i would have survived these first two weeks without our amazing parents.

also?  i wrote out elliot's birth story!  it may or may not have turned out to be a short novel but there was really nothing i could leave out.  there are lots of pictures & i enjoy reading it, so maybe you will too.  it'll be posted on monday.

this is what our week looked like through iPics.

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***photos edited via instagram.  do you instagram?  find me @amy_agoodlife & let's picture bond!***
that was our week!  how was yours?  i wanna see, so link up!

Game Rules:
1.  your pictures have to be taken by your camera phone. that's it!  you don't even have to have a picture for every day.  got one camera phone pic of something fun from this week?  link up!

2.  if you want to grab the code below & put it in your post to have the linky with all the thumbnails show up on your blog do it.

and please post a link to my blog so others can come here to grab the code, too.
the more kids who come out to play, the more fun it will be, right?

Grab the code here:

<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=161153" type="text/javascript"></script>

...and get on the linky here:

our weeks through iPhone - weeks 92 & 93

betcha wondered if this would ever make it on the blog again, huh?  the answer is heck to the yes.  i like taking regular iPhotos of our daily mundane activities too much to stop now.  we've come this far & done it too long to give up now.  but here's the thing... i'm probably gonna have a lot less time to put these posts together so we're taking out {most} the words.  you get to make your own assumptions as to what's going on in these photos, mmk?  

this is a major photo dump of what our last two weeks looked like.  it's a quick glimpse of the last days before elliot, labor & time spent in the hospital, bringing elliot home & our days since.  it's been a blur!  a crazy fun chaotic blur.  

it looks like we've gotten out & done a lot since being home & i have to give my mom, dad & everyone else who has gone out of their way to help us make this big adjustment some serious credit.  we've had lots of help & i'm so grateful!  i have yet to be alone all day with both boys but that day is coming soon enough... let's not talk about it.  

here's everything through iPics.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

***photos edited via instagram.  do you instagram?  find me @amy_agoodlife & let's picture bond!***
that was our week!  how was yours?  i wanna see, so link up!

Game Rules:
1.  your pictures have to be taken by your camera phone. that's it!  you don't even have to have a picture for every day.  got one camera phone pic of something fun from this week?  link up!

2.  if you want to grab the code below & put it in your post to have the linky with all the thumbnails show up on your blog do it.

and please post a link to my blog so others can come here to grab the code, too.
the more kids who come out to play, the more fun it will be, right?

Grab the code here:

<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=160121" type="text/javascript"></script>

...and get on the linky here:

elliot oliver.

elliot oliver nielson

8.17.12 - 5:33 am
8 pounds, 6 ounces.  20.5 inches

he's here you guys!  and guess what?  i wasn't induced.  i went into labor thursday night & after eight hours of labor {the last two of which had a gloriously working epidural} little elliot joined our family.  i'll write all the birth story details sometime hopefully soon.  all my time has been spent holding this sleepy little guy, nursing every two hours & changing a never ending rotation of elliot & parker diapers.

i have so much to write about {how parker is adjusting!  how i'm adjusting!  nursing!  loving two kiddos!  getting a baby to not wake up every hour on the hour all night long!} but every minute i write here {while the rest of my family is in bed & elliot sleeps on my lap} is a minute i should be sleeping... because who knows what i'm in store for tonight.

for now i will say we are absolutely head over heels in love with the newest member of our family & things are going really well.  a week has already passed in a blur & i know the months will start whizzing by too.  i'm trying to enjoy each moment of this little guy as a newborn & hold him every possibly second & soak it all in.  i'm finding myself more confident as a mother this time around & taking each moment as it comes.

and so far, it's been absolutely amazing.  we are so, so happy.  love this little guy.

induction? induction!

well guys, i'm still here & i'm still pregnant.

today marks 40w+6d and most definitely the last full day of my pregnancy.  we've decided to go the induction route & i'm scheduled for 7:30am friday morning as long as there's a bed for me.  sam & i both feel really good about this decision & like it's the right decision, so here we go.

i know there are a lot of people out there with different views on induction & i hope this doesn't become a place to voice negative opinions... we all do things for our own reasons & for what we think is in our family's best interest.  i feel like i've reached the limit on this pregnancy & am anxious to get this baby boy out of there for both mine & his sake.  my doctor feels like 41 weeks is the most optimal time to perform an induction & we run way less risks now than we would at 39 or even 40 weeks.

i am so excited that there is light at the end of the tunnel!  i will get to meet my baby boy number two this weekend & that is pretty amazing.  my mom flies in today & will be here to take care of parker & to meet baby boy at the hospital.  i'm so excited for that!  i'm also so excited to have her here to distract me from the day... today is gonna be a long one!  and how the heck do i sleep tonight knowing that i'm getting up in the morning & having a baby??  kinda crazy.

a small part of me is grateful this is what it's coming to.  i was so anxious & nervous for this delivery that i'm glad to be in a place now where i am practically begging for labor.  i've heard a lot of great induction stories from friends & family where it was calm, peaceful & the epidural worked like a charm.  YES.  keep those coming.

and a huge thank you to everyone who has called, texted, commented, facebook-ed or instagrammed me with encouragement, sympathy & support... it means the world to have so many people who care!

another great part of all of this waiting business is that i've gotten to spend some really amazing last few days hanging out with this little face.  p-ray has been such a blessing to our family & i just can't believe our days with him as our one & only are over.  i'm so excited for him to take on the role of big brother but it's gonna be so weird to have to share my time with another little guy.  i hope he understands.

well, if i don't post again between now & baby day, wish me luck!  feel free to leave your awesome induction stories in the comments & if you had a bad experience, let's talk about that next week, ok?

i'll be posting updates on my blog facebook page & instagram feed so if you're curious about how wrinkly & funny looking {and cute, obviously} baby number two is, follow along there.

and i'm out!  and so is baby number two... soon.

other things.

yeah, baby boy two is still an inside baby.

hey mamas of late babies, how come no one tells you that when you watch your due date come & go you feel so many other things besides impatient??  oh the amount of adjectives & emotions i could list... but i'm not going to.

instead i will merely be photo dumping a whole bunch of shots from the last week of things that have been occupying my time.  since we've had lots of time to kill i've been finding myself taking my camera out a lot more & trying to capture these last few days alone with my number one.

there's been mischief & shenanigans just hanging around the house...

a mariner's game, where parker wanted nothing to do with my begging him to look at me & smile... seriously?  ear plugging?

time spent at the lake running through the water & mud flinging:

feeding animals at our favorite cider mill & farm:

house guests who bring over super cute puppies:

more time at the lake with above-referenced houseguests playing in the water & drawing in the sand:

and one pregnancy related shot, me at 40w2d...

here's to another week of filling every minute waiting for boy two!

our week by iPhone - week 91

another week of pregnancy, another week of no baby pictures.  and i'm not gonna lie... this week kinda drug by a little.  i'm pretty tired & parker has been less than enthusiastic about getting out of the house so there's been a lot of downtime.  and a lot of time spent waiting & getting ready for a little houseguest to make his appearance who never showed up.

but hey!  let's look on the brightside... parker & i had a lot of quality one on one time hanging out around the house & enjoying the sunny days.  we went for long walks & played in the lake at the park in our neighborhood.  if baby's not here this weekend, i resolve to get out of the house a little more next week... or so i say now.

here's what our week looked like in iPhotos.

monday.  hung out around the house & went for a walk to the park... we swung on swings & put our feet in the lake.  then we hit up costco so sam & i could get our whooping cough booster, fun!  at least parker thought so.

tuesday.  we actually got out & did some shopping & had lunch with our friends but since i forgot to take pictures it looks like we just did a whole lot of sitting around the house.  which we also did.  and then sam & parker nested a little while i sat on the couch & thought about a labor that never came... ha!

wednesday.  p-ray & i didn't leave the house all day... i asked parker if he wanted to do about a million different things & his response was, "no... stay home." every time.  so i didn't argue.  but when sam got home i needed to GET OUT.  we went to one of my favorite little burger dives & i satisfied a very serious chocolate oreo milkshake craving.

thursday.  after being indoors all day on wednesday, parker & i jumped out of bed thursday morning & went to stroller strides on a gorgeous sunny day.  i did squats, planks & even jogged a little & it did nothing to put me into labor but it DID make me pretty dang sore.  so that's awesome.

after a doctor appointment we took parker to get his haircut where he did mostly good... thanks to a lightning mcqueen chair, cars on the iPhone & a sucker in the mouth.

friday.  another day of sticking around home, walking to the park & playing in the lake.  one of these days i'll remember to put parker in swim stuff before we head down there... but then again pantless-lake-play is totally underrated, right?  when we got home parker wanted to look at all the pictures i took of him at the lake... it's one of his favorite things.

then he had sam draw him all sorts of pictures while he watched from about one inch away.  and i looked at my ginormous belly that is now officially overdue.  boo!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

***photos edited via instagram.  do you instagram?  find me @amy_agoodlife & let's picture bond!***
that was our week!  how was yours?  i wanna see, so link up!

Game Rules:
1.  your pictures have to be taken by your camera phone. that's it!  you don't even have to have a picture for every day.  got one camera phone pic of something fun from this week?  link up!

2.  if you want to grab the code below & put it in your post to have the linky with all the thumbnails show up on your blog do it.

and please post a link to my blog so others can come here to grab the code, too.
the more kids who come out to play, the more fun it will be, right?

Grab the code here:

<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=158336" type="text/javascript"></script>

...and get on the linky here:

forty weeks - DUE DATE!

well it's happy due date day!  and that's a day to celebrate, right?  i mean c'mon, not everyone makes it this far & that's something to be happy about, amiright?  ok, i'm reaching.

i actually kinda sorta saw this coming.  at our early ultrasounds they dated this baby a few days later than what was based off my last missed period but since it was within the acceptable margin of error they just kept the due date from my LMP so we went with it.  it's all just a big estimate anyway, right?  stupid science.

we had our 40 week check up yesterday.  they offered to strip my membranes with the disclaimer of "if baby's ready & your hormones are just right & blah blah blah... it might kickstart labor within 12 to 48 hours."  well that was way too much disclaimer for me when it wasn't even my due date yet so we opted not to.  i am only dilated to a 2 & have been like that for two weeks now, so for me?  that means baby needs to keep hanging out.  and i'm ok with that, seriously.  yes we're in this weird inbetween stage of waiting but whatevs... he'll come out eventually, right?

we set up an appointment for a non-stress test on monday if he's not here yet & will think about induction at 41 weeks.  we'll see.

in the meantime i guess it's just another day to kick it with p-ray as my one & only & maybe another weekend o' fun with my two main men.  repeat after me:  no one has ever been pregnant forever... he'll be here soon enough :)

this is the most pregnant i've ever been.

oh you guys, still no baby!  i think i'm passed the point of nervous & anxious & just plain impatient now.  yes, my due date isn't until tomorrow but i was two days early with parker so i hoped boy two would be here by now.  this is the most pregnant i've ever been.

yesterday i sat around the house hoping at any second i'd spontaneously go into labor & it'd be time.  needless to say the minutes drug by & by the time sam came home i was scratching at the walls to get out.  i don't do cabin fever very well.  today parker & i are getting out & filling up our day with errands & i'm gonna try to not look at my watch as if every second that goes by means baby is that much closer.  he'll come eventually, right?

oh and the nesting?  it's gotten ridic.  today i resorted to washing loads of extra sheets & wiping down every glass surface/mirror in our house.  i was cleaning MIRRORS, people!  who does that?  ok, you're probably saying, "everyone does that, amy."  but for me?  it means i've gotten real desperate in my search of things to clean.  because usually i'm doing good to just keep up on laundry & dishes.

welp, that's really all i have to say about that.  i know baby will be here before we know it & our world will be turned upside down.  these last few days will soon be a distant memory & i'll hardly remember what it was like to be forty weeks pregnant & barely able to breathe {seriously, is he directly ON my lungs?!}.  i'll wonder how i ever thought my days were full with just one kiddo & juggling two will become the new norm.  can't wait.

i'll keep ya posted.

{if ya want the soonest of labor/baby updates, be sure to like the blog facebook page or follow my instagram feed.  updates will be there first!}

living each day like it's your last.

ok maybe that's a bit dramatic.

but lately, since i'm a ticking timebomb, i've been living like each day could be the last day as i know it.  every meal i eat could be the one that has to hold me through hours of labor {and i'd rather it NOT be a hot dog like it was when i had parker!  ew!}, every time we go grocery shopping i wonder if the groceries will be enough to tide us over a few days after we come home from the hospital, i take the hospital bags with us when we run errands, i try to get long nights of sleep & my naps in just in case i'm up all night at the hospital the next day & every night we put parker to bed i wonder if it's his last as an only child.

it's been kinda fun, actually.

we've really been trying to get the most out of each day knowing that such a huge change is coming.  this last weekend we spent the day up in seattle living it up & having a family date day... we've had so much fun these last two years as a little family of three!

and now i'm so excited to see how things change as a family of four.  it seriously boggles my mind & is something i just can't even comprehend right now... another baby.  another little baby that i love as much as parker.  i just don't even know how it's possible.  but i'm excited to find out.  so hopefully that happens soon.

until then, i'm just gonna keep enjoying my #1 little monster & living each day like it's our last... as we know it.

our week by iPhone - week 90

welp another week has come & gone & we're just keepin' on keepin' on the only way we know.  keepin' busy & doing our thang.  maybe next week we'll have iPhone baby pics?  sheesh, who knows.

here's what this week looked like according to my iPhone.

monday.  met up with lindsey & cami at the park & walked a lap around the lake.  which parker thought was hilarious.  almost as hilarious as his outfit was that evening when he was out playing b-ball... hoodie, orange tee, green b-ball shorts & red rain boots.  because obviously.

and my belly?  still has a baby in it.

tuesday.  after our weekly OB visit {where parker always insists on walking up & down the stairs himself} we met up with lindsey & cami & parker maybe stole her baby + stroller.  just gettin in big brother mode, ya know.

afternoon snuggles were followed by sam's amazing bbq avocado burgers & a giant bowl of watermelon.  pretty much the best dinner ever... minus the hours of heartburn that were to follow.  eww.

oh & parker?  he's just dipping tortilla chips in a bowl of water, because that's what he's into.

wednesday.  that pile of bread-bones is just parker's discard pile after three pieces of toast.  normal?  jury's still out.

while waiting for sam to get off work so we could head up to seattle for a mariner's game, a sunglasses-wearing parker & i hit up babies 'r us & parked in the expectant mother parking despite an empty parking lot... because you have to!

the game was a BLAST.  m's won {woohoo!} and parker made it happily through all nine innings.  he's a true fan.

thursday.  my last day in the office at ecology before six months of maternity leave... whoooa.  some parts were a little bittersweet.  the sweet part?  kissing that overflowing inbox gooodbye.  and with a belly that sometimes feels like it's big enough to just fall off?  it was time to call it quits.  peace out!

i was out most of thursday evening shooting a session & came home to sidewalk chalk scribblings from p-ray & sam that made made my heart all melty.  and then parker looked cute while sleeping.

friday.  so apparently we didn't do many photo worthy things friday... parker ate strawberries while we grocery shopped, there were post-nap snuggles & my belly jumped around all alien like.  i guess that's about it!

saturday.  started off with early morning snuggles & a spontaneous trip up to seattle to walk the waterfront, see the blue angels & smash crab legs to bits with mallets at the crab pot.  we called it our last big family date as three... tear!

it hit 90 degrees here so p-ray spent a good long time saturday evening running through the sprinkler & getting absolutely soaked which was hilarious... because kids are so easily amused, ya know?  these little tiny spurts of water absolutely lit him up & i think he coulda run through them for hours.  oh to be a kid again.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

***photos edited via instagram.  do you instagram?  find me @amy_agoodlife & let's picture bond!***
that was our week!  how was yours?  i wanna see, so link up!

Game Rules:
1.  your pictures have to be taken by your camera phone. that's it!  you don't even have to have a picture for every day.  got one camera phone pic of something fun from this week?  link up!

2.  if you want to grab the code below & put it in your post to have the linky with all the thumbnails show up on your blog do it.

and please post a link to my blog so others can come here to grab the code, too.
the more kids who come out to play, the more fun it will be, right?

Grab the code here:

<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=157412" type="text/javascript"></script>

...and get on the linky here:

thirty-nine weeks. bumpdate!

{compare boy two belly to parker belly here}

who's feeling me with the pink?  i've found myself seriously drawn toward girly things for myself {these new yoga pants with the pink band, a new purple water bottle i picked up the other day} & i think it's because i'm about to be seriously outnumbered here pretty soon.  can't wait.  seriously, can't wait to be the ruling lady amongst my little world of men.  haha!

well guys, with parker i wrote my thirty-nine week update & then went into labor that night.  i'd be ok with that.  today would be perfect!  sam is home, baby sitters for p-ray are numerous on the weekend & all systems around here are go.  but, alas, i don't get a say in when this all goes down.  sometime in the next week, let's hope!

all you guys that left encouraging words yesterday rocked my socks.  seriously, i'm psyched.  it's awesome to hear so many great stories of beautiful labors to reassure me that it is possible.  i think it's best to go into labor hoping for the best & then finding out what you're capable of should things get rough.  but to assume that it's gonna be rough?  probably not smart.  so, big ups to you guys.  thank you!  i'm feeling much better & confident about this whole thing & absolutely can't WAIT to meet this baby.

so how am i doing?  i'm tired.  i'm not horribly in pain though, i've been taking it pretty easy so maybe that's given my back/pelvis a rest.  i have to pee with approximately every five sips of water i take & braxton hicks tease me constantly.  nothing regular though but it's exciting to know my body is doing sommmething.

anywho, no one's ever been pregnant forever right?  soon :)

{my blog facebook page AND instagram will be updated with labor statuses & baby announcements probably much sooner than the blog.  so if you're interested in seeing when this all goes down?  check 'em out!  thanks for all the awesome support, friends... we are SO excited!}

froot loops. the midnight snack of {pregnant} champions!

this is literally me, right now.  i've officially succumbed to nothing but oversized t-shirts with the collars cut out {yuck, tight collars make me claustrophobic} and i've moved from leggings to loose yoga capris.  ooooh, sweet comfort.

i'm thirty-nine weeks pregnant today.

labor consumes my brain constantly.  i have perma-pre-game butterflies & approximately 14,584 different labor scenarios playing out in my mind.  last night sam was trying to go to bed & eventually kicked me out of the room because he said he could no longer play hypothetical with me... that at least one of us needed to be rested.  so i went out & ate froot loops.  and here we are.

it's so funny how meeting this baby boy feels SO close {any second now!!} and yet so far away {a whole WEEK??}.  the suspense is killing me.  i think we maaaaayyybe have finally agreed on a name which makes me super excited to meet this little boy because wow, he has a name!  he's a real boy.  i've packed my hospital bag & i literally can't think of anything more to do around the house to get things ready.  i'm well nested.

and now?  i'm just anxious, nervous & excited.  constant butterflies & scenarios playing out.  trying to enjoy every second that i'm not agonizing in labor/contraction pain but unbelievably anxious & excited to hold this new little boy & see his little face.  and to see if all this heartburn really does mean he has a full head of hair.

and one last thing?  if you had an awesome labor, where things went smoothly... you made it to the hospital with plenty of time, your older kid(s) was well taken care of & happy, your epidural worked beautifully & you pushed happily along for less than an hour?  leave your story in the comments, mmk?  i could use a pep talk.

if your labor was the opposite of that?  let's talk about it in a week or two, yes?  for now, i need good vibes.

{as soon as the little man is born i will be posting an announcement on my blog facebook page.  i'm sure it will be announced there a good day or two before i manage to get it on the blog, so if you're curious hit up & "like" the page if you don't already!}