6 AM: Check in at Miz-Mam Clinic (raining and cool this morning). Blood pressure check, fetal monitoring for 30 minutes.
6:50: The nurse declares that my "uterus is closed" and inserts the Propess gel. I have to lie down for at least 30 minutes. Another 30 minutes of fetal monitoring. The gel starts things moving pretty soon but I've got a long way to go and I am disappointed that I'm starting out at 0cm.
8:00: Walk the halls (the clinic is pretty small so this gets boring fast but we get to peek at the nursery twice each lap).
9:15: Dr. Lee wants me to come down to check Baby weight, etc. on the ultrasound. Baby Boy is measuring big still (4.4kg) and Dr. Lee says they recommend c-section over 9lbs in Korea. This is when I said, "I"m American, I can get him out."
10:00: Dr. Lee calls for Craig, sends him back up with a textbook marked at the shoulder dysplacia to try to convince me to go for the c-section. I am a little annoyed with Dr. Lee even though I can see where he's coming from. I am too stubborn to get too discouraged.
12:00 PM: 3 cm, oxytocin started. I got really nauseous at first and thought I would pass out but as quickly as that all came on it was over. Harder contractions start.
1:00 PM: oxytocin level increased. Baby is in a funny position with his bum way off to the right and is causing quite a bit of back pain with the contractions. I switch my position and change his. Contractions stop altogether giving me a nice break.
2:15: 4 cm, break water (without warning, I might add!) The contractions are coming like crazy and are really hard to get through.
3:00: 7 cm, I want oxytocin OFF, nurses aren't listening, finally get Dr. Lee to come up. It is going too fast for me to handle. Dr. Lee reluctantly turns off the oxytocin, predicts another hour or more before I'm ready to push. I start thinking about epidurals and c-sections and I realize I must be in transition to be having thoughts like this! Shortly after Dr. Lee leaves I let them know I am ready to push and I think the nurses are surprised since Dr. Lee had just left! I push a few times in the labor room and then walk across the hall to the delivery table. This was something I was dreading but actually wasn't a big deal at all. Maybe just knowing it was all almost over made the walk totally do-able.

Henry Lawrence arrived at 3:24 PM on Friday, July 24, 2009. He weighed 4.2kg and was 50cm long (but it should be noted that the measuring tape only went to 50cm so this is probably not correct). He has blonde hair and super chubby cheeks! To be more specific: he is ADORABLE!

I want to note that I was really nervous about having Henry in Korea based on a few stories I had heard. I think I had a really positive experience at this clinic because I knew what I wanted and didn't want and then had someone (Craig's fantastic secretary!) translate my list of preferences into Korean for the nurses. The nurses basically left us alone (other than the fetal monitoring, etc.) and respected our wishes. In this way I had a much better experience than in Qatar even though Al Ahli Hospital felt more "modern" or "advanced." I think my stubbornness also paid off in not getting a c-section. I could tell that I was frustrating Dr. Lee from the time I was reluctant to schedule the induction. To be honest, Dr. Lee was frustrating me with all of his c-section talk! In the end I'm glad I was induced at 38 weeks because it was hard enough getting Henry out at this size!

Posted by Becky at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tomorrow is the day!

This past week I have had hip pain, major heartburn, nausea, insomnia, and extreme fatigue. I think I've been noticing all of the "bad" things about being pregnant this week to help get myself mentally "OK" with being induced. I'm ready. Baby Boy's stuff is ready. Let's hope it all goes well! We check in at 6 AM tomorrow morning.

I'm sad to be finished being pregnant forever but am also very ready to meet our son! I'm worried about family dynamics for the first little bit but grateful to my mom and Craig's mom for coming out to help out during the first few rough weeks where I need to devote a lot of my attention and energy on Baby Boy. I am really curious to know if he'll have blonde or red hair (Anna is sure he'll have blue hair—maybe he'll be a muppet?)...

Posted by Becky at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

[will insert u/s picture later, sorry!]

We took the whole gang with us to the doctor this morning since I was anticipating setting an induction date with Dr. Lee. The girls & I got there first and I had to go take a non-stress test (I didn't know in advance) so it was lucky that Craig was on his way to entertain the kids while I had to lie down for 30 minutes. Baby Boy is not stressed.

I was able to successfully slow down our weight gains but Dr. Lee still wants to induce next week. We are to arrive on Friday, July 24 at 6 AM. I gave Dr. Lee my list of demands/"preferences" and he balked at the line where I said "no bottle or pacifier: breastfeeding ONLY." He said, "we give a bottle of water in the nursery." I said, pointing to Anna & Sarah, "No. Breastfeeding only. No problems." We had Craig's secretary translate our preferences since the nurses don't speak much, if any, English... I think I'm actually more worried about dealing with the nurses than with getting induced earlier than I would prefer.

One week until Baby Boy!!

Posted by Becky at 9:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[will insert ultrasound picture here]

Last night I went to my 36 week appointment and my doctor finally said what I had predicted he would say so many weeks ago: he wants to induce me. He seems very worried about the size of Baby Boy and wants to induce at 38 weeks. I am still wrapping my mind around it. I would rather wait until 39 weeks if possible and he said only if I can "slow down" my weight gain and Baby Boy's weight gain. I'm not sure how one would actually go about this since Baby Boy is supposed to be gaining an ounce per day from here on out! He was measuring 3.8kg (Sarah was 3.7kg when she was born) which is 4-5 weeks ahead of where he should be. Of course, the measurements can be off by 500 grams either way and I did talk about that with Dr. Lee. My mother has changed her tickets to come out a week and two days earlier so she will be here if we end up inducing at 38 weeks. I go back to the doctor on Friday next week and I assume we'll generate a plan at that point (unless somehow both Baby & I miraculously stop gaining weight!).

Last night and tonight I walked for an hour (Dr. Lee wants me to walk an hour in the morning and an hour at night but that's not in the scheduling-cards yet). I've also been drinking Red Raspberry Leaf tea and eating pineapple. These are all things that I hope will make me more favorable for induction (I'm not actually hoping, nor do I believe, that these things will induce me "naturally.).

I now have a list of must-do things to prepare for Baby if he's really coming in two weeks and I'm a little stressed out about all! Hopefully once I cross a few things off of the list I will feel better about it all.

Posted by Becky at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Baby Boy was sleeping and had an arm or a hand over his face so I didn't get a picture from tonight's ultrasound. He is measuring 3 weeks big and Dr. Lee seemed concerned about this. He also thought that Anna and Sarah were "big" babies (Anna was 7lbs 15oz and Sarah was 8lbs 5oz). I don't know what size is "normal" for Koreans but I always considered my girls to be "average" size (with Sarah on the higher end of that). Either way, I don't remember either girl ever measuring more than one week big. Dr. Lee also prescribed an iron supplement since my iron levels are low. (Perhaps that is why I'm so tired? or maybe I'm so tired because I just cannot sleep!) I really get the feeling that he's going to start talking about induction although he hasn't actually said this to me yet. We'll see what happens at my next appointment (in two weeks).

I have gained 29.5 pounds so far this pregnancy (I gained 34.5 pounds total with Sarah and 38.5 pounds total with Anna. I started off this pregnancy about 5 pounds heavier than I did with Sarah and about 10 pounds heavier than with Anna.) I guess Baby Boy and I are just going to be BIG! And two weeks ago a complete stranger basically told me I was wrong about how far along I was because I am "too big." I just told her that I will get huge and I had 8-9 more weeks to go! I guess it's good I don't feel sensitive about my (and Baby's) weight or that could have sent me over the edge!

Posted by Becky at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(need to insert u/s picture here--it wasn't anything interesting this time; I think Dr. Lee was a little rushed tonight.)

Anna has been jealous that Sarah has gone to most of my OB appointments and she hasn't been to any so tonight I took just her along with me. Baby Boy looks good and is measuring about 1 week ahead. He has been head-down and with his hips & bum up at my right ribs the last several visits. So, I'm hoping this means he is more compliant than Sarah is (she was flipping around until the bitter end!).

Dr. Lee asked if we took a tour of the labor & delivery rooms last time and I said we did but the nurse didn't speak any English so we didn't see all that we wanted to see. So, he took me and Anna up again. What we saw last time were just the recovery rooms. There are three labor rooms and directly across the hall from those are the delivery room. I asked if you push in the delivery room and he said, "no" so I take that to mean that you have to walk across the hall at the last possible minute and don't spend a lot of time in the delivery room (there is only one delivery table there). The emergency operating table is three or four feet in front of the delivery table. Some people I described this to thought that that was reassuring but it just made me feel scared! I'll be staring at that c-section table when I'm giving birth and I hope it doesn't make me nervous! I think I'm just going through some pre-labor jitters and I know I'll be fine. I'm still hoping I can just show up and deliver Baby Boy without a lot of hassle and without a lot of time spent actually laboring at the clinic. Dr. Lee stressed again that it is two hours in the nursery for Baby Boy after birth. The more I think about it the more annoyed I get so I'll try to not think about it too much right now and deal with it at the time.

There is a baby pool to vote in on the right-hand side of the blog so place your bets!

Posted by Becky at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Baby Boy is very active and strong! I'd still say this pregnancy has been relatively easy but it's definitely harder having two other children to take care of which doesn't give me enough time to really rest. As a result my back hurts frequently (but if I really back off when I notice it and lay down during the day it will go away the next day). My hips are starting to hurt and I'm not sure if it's from the super hard bed we have or just the stage I'm at. I am considering moving myself to the air mattress soon to see if it is any more comfortable. Sometimes the couch is slightly softer but it's not quite long enough to achieve true comfort. I'm not sleeping well regardless!

I still have a list of things I'd really like to get done before Baby Boy arrives but the I don't typically have the energy to work on anything at night after the girls go to bed so I'm not sure what will actually get finished before he gets here in 9-10 weeks. (The list of things itself isn't long but the things on them are very involved projects...)

Posted by Becky at 9:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Baby Boy's face with a finger in his mouth?

Baby Boy's face again but with a hand or a foot near his head (his right).

Baby boy looks good again this week! I gained ZERO kg from my last visit two weeks ago which surprised me since I haven't done anything different from previous weeks. Sarah was an absolute dream during the appointment which I was really nervous about since she was so difficult last time (she was probably just tired of being at doctor's offices last time since we had just gone to two appointments for her the day before). Baby Boy is head down with his bum near my right ribcage which is where he was last time, too.

We went on a little tour upstairs where Baby Boy will actually be born. The place looks nice and clean (it is only two years old) but the nurse who gave us the tour spoke very little English which reinforced to me that I truly will need my requests written out in Hangul and have Mijung on call when we go in! There was a row of the cutest little Korean newborns in the nursery and they were all sleeping (so cute but how did they achieve that?).

I got a few more questions answered from Dr. Lee today since Sarah was cooperating:

• Yes, I can nurse Baby Boy before he goes for his 2-hour "observation" period in the nursery—and now we've seen the nursery and Craig will be able to watch everything they're doing during that time.
  
• I think I can talk Dr. Lee out of an episiotomy and shaving but he doesn't want to budge on an enema.
  
• If Baby Boy or I have an emergency we would be taken to the hospital in Jinju which is 90 minutes away by ambulance.
  

Posted by Becky at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm starting to get some serious kicks now. Baby Boy is really jabbing into my ribs several times per day. He is getting stronger and running out of room in there! My back is really not doing so well though and I'm wondering how I am going to survive another 10-11 weeks? I think it's mostly from dealing with short people and short household appliances but it's also because I've got all of this weight hanging off of my front! I really hope that the back pain is just instantly gone the minute Baby Boy arrives!

Posted by Becky at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're counting down the days until Grandma gets here (and I'm mentally tacking on another 7-14 links in the chain until Baby Boy arrives!).

Posted by Becky at 8:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

3-D with Baby Boy's face on the right.

I think the one on the left is a profile and I guess the one on the right is his face from the front.

Can you believe how cute Baby Boy is? We never got a good 3-D face-shot of the girls so I'll be interested to compare this picture of Baby Boy with his little face when we meet him in August!

Baby Boy looks good! He is kicking me a lot! Sarah did a good job during the part of the appointment where I was lying on the table getting the ultrasound but did not want to stick around for the millions of questions I had for Dr. Lee today. (Craig was supposed to come with me yesterday when we planned to go but couldn't come with me today because of meetings.) I did find out the answers to a few questions (and these are as I heard them over Sarah's protesting/trying to run away from me):

• Yes, I can keep Baby Boy with me after he's born (he does not have to stay in the nursery). But (I need to clarify on this one), he needs to be "observed" for two hours after birth and it sounds like they want him somewhere other than with me.
• I can nurse right away (before they take him for two hours, I presume)
• Circumcision is not routine here. (Dr. Lee had a surprised laugh when I said "circumcision." For the record we had already decided not to and I had it on my list of questions because it is so routine in the US.)
• The Group B Strep test is not routine in Korea. I tested positive with Sarah and have read that after you have tested positive once you need the antibiotics before delivery with every subsequent pregnancy. I need to read up on this again but Dr. Lee indicated that it won't be a problem.
• Since I have a negative blood type and that is very rare in Korea I need to pay extra to be sure to have some blood available for me if I need it. This I need more clarification on but will be happy to pay extra just in case!
• August 5 is a national holiday in Korea and my doctor is planning to be gone that week. He asked if I was OK with the other doctor if he's not there. I'm not sure if he is offering to induce me before he leaves but I said it was fine with me whichever doctor is there.

We still have more questions (and obviously more that needs to be cleared up with the "answers" I got) and hopefully Craig can come with me next time (in two weeks) and we can take a tour of the labor & delivery rooms then as well.

Baby Boy weighs two and a quarter pounds and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. I have gained 23.5 pounds and am 8 pounds shy of my max weight with Sarah. I had better slow down a little with 12 weeks to go!

Posted by Becky at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Baby Boy is really starting to kick around now! This past week he has started kicking a lot all throughout the day. It seems any time I stop moving, even momentarily, he starts wiggling. I don't remember so much daytime activity with the girls. In fact, he seems relatively quiet in the evening and I think he likes to hear Anna & Sarah's voices during the day.

I am getting anxious to go to my doctor's appointment next week and ask all of the questions I feel like I should already know the answers to about delivering in Okpo. Hopefully I'll like all of the answers because I don't know what my other options are around here!

This week: Baby Boy weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended.

Posted by Becky at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Profile.

Feet.

I had to fast this morning to take my glucose tolerance test and it was so hard because Sarah woke up early (which means I did, too) and then the girls took forever to eat their breakfast. Sarah did do a great job at the doctor today (just like I remember Anna doing when I took her to all of my appointments in Doha) which really surprised and impressed me. I passed my test (which means I don't have gestational diabetes) and got to take another nice peek at Baby Boy. The doctor was able to count ten toes and four heart chambers today. Everything looks good according to the ultrasound!

Posted by Becky at 8:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here's a shot of my profile since I still haven't done an official one!

The girls had a lot of fun at the Museum of Nature & Science today. I think they liked the animal dioramas the best but they also enjoyed seeing the dinosaurs and gemstones.

Posted by Becky at 8:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I officially look pregnant enough to the general public that I've gotten three random comments on my pregnancy by strangers this week. This is good to know that I'm not in the awkward "is she pregnant or just getting fat?" phase! Profile pictures sometime soon, I promise!

Baby Boy still doesn't have a favorite time to squirm but I am getting some stronger kicks when he does. Anna has told me that the baby in her tummy makes her tired and she can feel it moving. This could get interesting!

Baby is more than 11 inches and weighs over one pound now. I haven't checked how much I have gained to see how on track I am with the girls but will try to compare it when I get the official numbers from the doctor after we're back in Korea.

Posted by Becky at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I really need to get a profile shot sometime soon--I can't believe I've gotten this far without one. My belly button is just slightly starting to pop out. This feels earlier to me than the last two times but this pregnancy is also going by much faster because I have about zero time to focus on it.

There is really nothing new to report this week. I had a brief episode of nausea yesterday while I was sitting with the girls during their snack. I called Craig over to sit with them and I went to rest on the bed. As soon as I lay down, Baby Boy wriggled and jiggled and squirmed around and then I felt better. He must have been pressing on something the wrong way!

Baby Boy is about 11 inches and weighs almost 1 pound this week. I'm looking forward to checking in on him again when we get back to Korea.

Posted by Becky at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jet lag and pregnancy insomnia do not mix! I had a much harder time with the jet lag than the kids because of this! At least my mom had energy to play with Anna (and usually Sam) in the afternoons while I took a nap (when Sarah was also napping). I am pretty much back onto my regular fatigue schedule but am not looking forward to doing it again in a few weeks when we return to Korea.

Baby Boy's movements have gotten stronger but still very inconsistent. Craig was actually able to feel him moving around the night before we left Korea which was nice. I felt him moving while I was staring into the darkness at 3 AM (7 PM Korean time) the first few nights. Now he is starting to wiggle more when I eat something particularly tasty but he hasn't developed a routine yet of moving during the evenings when the girls are in bed.

I have acquired most of the things I need for Baby Boy and have successfully found cute boys clothes (something I was skeptical about when I first started shopping!) and accessories.

Baby Boy weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long this week.

Posted by Becky at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Arm (?) on the left and foot on the right.

Face.

Anita came in to my appointment this morning and Dr. Lee gave us a pretty good tour of Baby Boy. I did ask him to reconfirm that he is still a boy so he showed us again. Everything looks good! Sarah didn't like that I was lying down and was tugging on my feet saying, "get up, mommy!" but she did pretty well overall.

Posted by Becky at 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow time is flying by! I am waiting for Craig, Anita, & Brian to get here from the airport! This seemed like such a long way off when we first told them we were expecting our third child. Someone asked me today how many weeks I am and I surprised myself when I said "nineteen weeks" because that means I'm almost half-way done! ??

I am feeling good but Sarah has caught the cold our family has been passing around and she has been super needy and wants me to carry her all of the time. Which I can't do. My back is already starting to hurt and I'm nervous about getting into a situation like I was a few weeks ago where I could barely stand up. At least if I can make it through our trip next week then I will survive. I just don't think Sarah is going to adjust very well to not being the baby of the family.

I have felt a few more stronger nudges from Baby Boy and usually in the evening when the girls are in bed but a few during the day as well. Sarah still pushes on my stomach more than I'd like and I think Baby Boy is going to start pushing back one of these days!

Babycenter says that Baby Boy weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and measures 6 inches, head to bottom. I will go for my twenty-week appointment on Monday morning.

Posted by Becky at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am feeling really great now that the morning sickness is gone (and, really, I know it wasn't as bad as with the girls) except that I have had an awful cold all week! I think it wiped me out more than the nausea did. It's mostly gone now so hopefully that is the end of complaints for a little while. My back still is sore/tired frequently but nothing like the pain of a few weeks ago. Some days I don't need to take a nap but I still need to lay down for a bit each day.

We are mostly decided on a name for Baby Boy which is a very strange feeling. I guess since we've had time to talk about boy names since 2004 and haven't gotten to use one it made it easier to come to an agreement. Although Anna still thinks we should name him "Dumptruck," I feel certain that won't be part of his name. I'll have to get a video of Sarah saying our name choice because it's pretty cute when she says it right now. I will at least wait to announce the name here until Baby Boy arrives though to save some sort of surprise (Along with the question I have about his hair: will it be blonde and curly like Anna or will it be red and straight like Sarah? Or will it be curly and red or straight and blonde?) I also have questions about delivering here in Korea but most experiences I have heard are positive which is the same I can say for where I delivered in Texas and Qatar, really.

This pregnancy is truly flying by; I honestly don't know how I'm already 18 weeks and our trip to Colorado is coming up soon. I have a feeling that August will be here before I know it!

Babycenter says that Baby Boy is approximately 5 1/2 inches long head to rump and weighs almost 7 ounces.

Posted by Becky at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pregnancy insomnia seems to have hit me this week. I woke up at 3:30 on Wednesday morning and could not go back to sleep. I tried at 6 AM but at 6:05 Sarah started yelling, "quit it, cats!" because somehow Chopstick and Clementine nudged the girls' door open after I crawled back in bed. So the girls were up which meant that I was not going to get any more sleep! At least the nausea seems to have disappeared now. Still taking it easy on my back though.

Babycenter says that Baby Boy is weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. I am still at a ten-pound weight gain which is good news that I've slowed down a little because I am positive I will gain a lot while we're in Colorado next month (Panera Bread Company here I come!).

Posted by Becky at 9:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Left image show spine; right image is a crotch shot although Dr. Lee did not show us what he saw to indicated boy.

Left image is Baby Boy's face with hand near top; right image is an arm.

Craig, Sarah, & I went to the doctor today and I asked Dr. Lee if he could tell if Baby is a boy or a girl. Dr. Lee seemed to have trouble getting a good look in that area after he did some other body-part checks. He turned off the machine, started walking away and said, "95% sure it's a boy." And then he asked me if I was happy. I honestly was so surprised that he didn't point anything out to us that I only said 95% makes me doubt! He then said, "you can never be 100% sure until delivery." Craig thinks Dr. Lee looked stressed out this morning and I'll admit that he wasn't quite as detailed when he did the ultrasound. At any rate we are excited for a boy (although I am also a little scared!) and I will be sure to ask again at our next visit.

I also wanted to note that Baby Boy was scratching his head with both hands during the ultrasound which was pretty cute! I have started feeling some very tiny movement which I really feel like is less than I did with the girls. Definitely nothing consistent yet.

The back pain that I had last week is gone (although I'm still taking it easy because my back still feels "tired" when I do too much). I have a bit of nausea that seems to be triggered by sweets. I need to cut those out anyway so this is motivation!

Babycenter says that Baby Boy is 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and weighs 3 1/2 ounces.

(We had 12 votes for Boy and 6 votes for Girl in our gender poll. Next we'll have to guess if Baby Boy will have red or blonde hair...)

Posted by Becky at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Anna & Craig suffer from sympathy pains. Craig is craving food and Anna's back "hurts" and she needs help getting up off of chairs, etc.

Posted by Becky at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The last two days I have had excruciating pain in my lower back. I thought this was sciatica but now am thinking it might be "pelvic girdle pain." Either way I could barely turn over last night in bed and almost could not get out of bed in the morning. I took two Tylenol and then Sarah & I stopped at the doctor this morning. He basically said there's nothing I can do (I asked about acupuncture or seeing a chiropractor). I've been using a hot pad today and tomorrow will try some kind of patch the doctor suggested to pick up at the pharmacy. I have been avoiding lifting and bending as much as possible but when I take a break and sit down it is so awful to try to get up again! This is worse than any related pain I had with Anna & Sarah. I even refused a peek at Baby today because I didn't want to go through getting on and off the table! I will go next week for my regular appointment and I really hope I'm better by then. I was charged 2,500 Korean Won for my visit (that's $1.78 US Dollars).

Posted by Becky at 8:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have had much less nausea the last week or so (yay!). I am still incredibly tired though and although I do know that I will be tired the whole pregnancy I sure hope it's not this much the entire time! I over-did it when we moved last week and have had some pretty bad sciatic nerve pain ever since. I haven't been carrying/holding Sarah much but it is not going away fast. This was the first time that has cropped up with this pregnancy; I can't remember when it started with Sarah and Anna.

I'm basically only thinking about my upcoming appointment (next week; the week of the 18th—I'll be 16 weeks on the 18th so that's the soonest I'll go in) and hoping that we can find out whether this is a boy or a girl! We found out with Anna at 16 weeks so I hope we're as lucky this time around.

I occasionally think I might feel some movement but it's nothing definite or clear yet. Babycenter says that Baby measures 3 1/2 inches from head to bottom, is about the size of a lemon, and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. I haven't weighed myself in a while but I'm pretty sure I'm up by at least ten pounds. Crazy since I didn't gain with Sarah until after 20 weeks and I started off this pregnancy 5 pounds heavier than with Sarah and 10 pounds heavier than with Anna. Hopefully I can keep my top weight the same as both girls (I gained less with Sarah).

Posted by Becky at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I was surprised that there were people (a nice-sized line, actually) riding on the "frume" ride. It was nice weather but not that nice!

We might check out the rest of the amusement park this spring when the weather is warmer.

The girls were disappointed that we drove to Jinhae instead of taking the car ferry but the new bridge over there made the drive slightly more convenient than the ferry. It took just over an hour to get there (there ferry takes 45 minutes terminal-to-terminal plus twenty minutes to get to the terminal on Geoje.

The sledding hill was pretty small and the snow was pretty slushy/icy (all man-made). Sarah refused to go down and Anna went down twice with Craig but didn't really like it (it was too fast). There were only inter-tubes available and you were not allowed to put your child in your lap. I ended up chickening out, too, since I kept imagining myself doing a belly-flop onto the hard-packed snow and crushing Baby3! Hopefully next year both Anna & Sarah will be more open to going down.

There was another area where the kids could just play in the snow and check it out which the girls had a ton of fun doing. We had a "snowball fight" and they loved it. When we were done we went to McDonald's for lunch (one of these days I really need to go there for breakfast!!!) then came back home and got Sarah down for a late nap. I'm glad we went and the weather was really nice today—we were way over-dressed!

Posted by Becky at 6:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Clementine dreaming of Oxen.

Sadly we did nothing today to celebrate the Lunar New Year. I saw a couple of craft ideas to do but with zero energy and moving upstairs next week I decided to just forget it. The kids don't care. I did buy a stuffed ox for Baby3 though (it is the year of the ox). Craig gets back from his trip tonight thank goodness! And he gets the next two days off for the holiday. I see naps in my future!

Posted by Becky at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not a whole lot new to report this week. I'm still incredibly tired and the nausea comes and goes. It's mostly on its way out but I had a bad bit of it yesterday. Craig has been out of town this week which I'm sure is contributing to the fatigue. I really hope I'll get some energy during the second trimester because I'm having a hard time imagining living life like this until August (and then for several months while we have a newborn)! Anna has been so patient and understanding though. I am so lucky that she is easy. She's watching way more TV than I'd like but I can't stay awake in the afternoon!

Sarah elbows me and leans on my belly a lot and it's starting to feel uncomfortable when she does so I am often reminding her to not do that to my belly and today Anna chimed in, "because you're hurting your baby brother." When I asked her if she thought it was a boy she quickly changed her mind and said she thinks it's a girl because she really only wants another sister. Somehow I think she'll get over it if this is a boy though! I certainly think the chances are good since this pregnancy really has been different than the first two. I'm getting impatient to find out!!

Craig and I have discussed names a little bit and have a good short list going. Hopefully we'll have an easier time this time around!

Baby Center says Baby "is, from crown to rump, just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. "

Posted by Becky at 8:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I went to the doctor tonight after Craig got back from work. Dr. Lee wasn't there so I saw another doctor who I didn't like quite as much but was still fine. He says everything looks "normal" and to come back in five weeks. I personally thought Baby looked super cute dancing on the monitor but the doctor made no mention of this... I'll be 16 weeks at my next appointment and that is when we found out gender for Anna so I'm hoping we can find out for this baby then, too. That will be the week after Valentine's Day. I'll have to get a poll up so you people can place their bets!

I've been mostly exhausted and still nauseous (although I managed to gain 1.5 kg between visits so I'm definitely still eating!). Hopefully I only have a few more weeks of nausea but I'm pretty sure I'll be really tired for another year or so!

Anytime we mention the baby to Anna she squeals in delight that she is "so excited!" It's still so far away we don't talk about it a lot, but since we told everyone our news this last week we brought it up to her again since we'll be talking about it with others. We also got news that we will move up to the top terrace next month! We'll be going from 74 stairs to 21 stairs which will be so much more do-able when I'm huge in June, July, & August, and when I'm juggling everyone in August, September and later!

My weekly Babycenter email says, "Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Baby's hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden."

Posted by Becky at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

2008 Highlights:

• Sarah walking, running, climbing, talking, singing, dancing, hugging, kissing, giggling
  
• Anna coming out of her shell, being a caring big sister, making friends at school, learning to write her name
  
• Trips to Seoul, Busan, and Colorado

What We're Looking Forward to in 2009:

• Brian & Anita coming in March
  
• Going to Colorado for four weeks in March/April.
  
• Using the pool every day this summer.
  
• August 5, 2009... we are expecting baby #3

Posted by Becky at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)