My Belly...the sequel

Welcome, Bryton!

2010-05-06T17:48:00.001-07:00

Team Camwell welcomed Bryton John Palmer Camwell into the world today, May 6, 2010 at 12:57pm after 12 hours of labour. He weighs 8 lbs. 15 oz and is 21 & 1/4" long. One pound less and one inch shorter than his big brother 2.5 years ago! :) Mom and Bryton are doing really well, and Harry was excited to meet his baby brother about an hour ago! Here's a picture of Bryton and one of our new family of four.

39 weeks

2010-05-02T10:37:00.001-07:00

My parents arrived for the baby visit on Friday night. I've finally finished everything big on my "to-do before baby" list, including 2 garage sales, 2 Pampered Chef shows and my students playing at Festival yesterday. Baby can come now, please! I'm DONE. At my 38-week appointment, Dr. O said to hold tight because Baby wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. I'm considering asking for an induction at my 39-week appointment tomorrow.

Oboes and Babies

2010-04-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

My favourite section mates (Barb and David) serenading the baby bump after my last concert with OI. :)

37 weeks

2010-04-17T15:23:00.001-07:00

This baby is due 3 weeks from today!! I'm physically ready for this pregnancy to be over. This has been way more difficult than being pregnant with Harry. Still, I've always said I'd happily (moderately!) be sick and bed-rested for 9 months to have a happy and healthy baby. While I'd be happy for this pregnancy to be over, I have things to do before he arrives. I'm in Iowa City this weekend for a symphony set, two concerts next week, a garage sale next weekend, two Pampered Chef shows the following week, and my students' festival on May 1. Sooo...any time after that, Baby can come!

And now for TMIFSOY (too much information for some of you): At my 36 week appointment on Monday, everything looked good. I was only dilated 1 cm but ready to hear I was 3 or more! I'd gained 3 lbs from the previous appointment 2 weeks before. Still 10 lbs under my weight when Harry was born. I somehow doubt I'll gain that much in 3 weeks. I had an ultrasound on Tuesday, mainly to check for Baby's size, as I'd been measuring big. Well, at 36 weeks, Baby was measuring 7 lbs 15 oz!! Average baby weight at birth is 7 lbs 10 oz, and average weight at this point in pregnancy is 6 lbs. He's in the 98-99th percentile right now.

Now's a good a time as any to play the guessing game! If you haven't already done so on Facebook (and even if you have and would like to put it here too), put your guess in the comments section below for Baby Boy's date and time of arrival, as well as your best guess for weight and length.

Really hoping my nausea subsides in the next 10 minutes...I'm heading out to an Indian restaurant in Iowa City with some friends. Come on, baby! Make some room!

34 weeks

2010-03-29T17:59:00.001-07:00

I had my 34 week appointment today and saw my regular doctor...for the first time this pregnancy! She didn't even know I was pregnant...how crazy is that?

Baby's heart rate was 131 and I measured 35 weeks, which surprises me a little, as Baby feels soooo big! I'm actually feeling stretch out clear all the way to my side--draw a line straight down your side from your armpit, and that's where he's kicking! I didn't know my uterus extended that way... I also only gained one pound in the past 2 weeks, same as 30 to 32 weeks. My blood pressure was good. Dr. O thinks Baby is head down, as did the doctor last time. Harry was breech at this point, and he only turned quite late, so let's hope this baby stays put!!

We've painted Baby's room (I should say Dave has, not me), and this week when Jen comes for a visit (Dave's sister), we'll finish decorating. I have an almost-hospital bag packed. I just need to toss in a few more things. Hmmm...should I bring my hospital bag with me to Iowa City/Cedar Rapids when I have my orchestra concert set 2.5 weeks from now?? Speaking of orchestra, so I'm no stranger to playing right before my due date. I played the broadway show Camelot 2 weeks before Harry was due (3.5 weeks before he actually arrived-haha), but I did not have a problem with breathing. I'm a little concerned this time, as this baby seems to be sitting so much higher. I can hardly breathe some nights, he feels like he's pushing up into my sternum. Maybe he'll drop by then! Hmmm...then I'd have a whole other set of worries on my hands.

32 weeks

2010-03-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yowza! Yes, I know I'm big!! But I'm still 9 lbs under the weight I'd gained with Harry up to this point. Baby is measuring 2 weeks big, so that makes me think it's all baby in that belly. In a few weeks, we'll play the guessing game on this blog! I'm feeling pretty good. I have severe heartburn at night, and I've had to take stronger medication that lasts 12 hours. It still doesn't always work for me, and some nights I'm up for all but 2 or 3 hours. And I don't even have a cute newborn to cuddle with! Anyone who says these sleepless nights are just nature's way of preparing me for a newborn again can come on over, watch Harry during the day, and let me sleep. In other news, I'm a delightful, cheerful pregnant woman. :) Dave painted the baby's room this week, and we are moving some furniture around so we won't have to do much else in the next 7.5 weeks besides wait for the little guy to make his appearance. We've definitely decided on a name, and for fun, you can see the initials to the right of this page...eliminating the letters of the alphabet that will not be the first initial in his name! :)

More diapers

2010-03-12T11:15:00.001-08:00

Now that we've gone through the whole cloth diapering thing with Harry, we are very confident we can do it again with Baby #2. We won't need to buy many diapers, but I would like to get maybe 6-12 more per size, just so we have a bit less laundry to do. Plus, some of the one-size diapers (diapers that grow with Baby from birth-toddler--some awesome ones are Blueberry, Happy Heiny's and Bum Genius) have worn out a bit, particularly in the snaps and velcro closures. So while the fitted diapers are great from child-to-child, the one-size are pretty much one-baby shots (still very economical compared with disposables). No baby shower for Baby #2, but now you know what we need if you're looking to get him something... (maybe I'll put a list on the side toolbar)

In the meantime, I'd love some opinions on some really cute Fuzzibunz diapers. My question: Can I get away with putting these on a boy?? Girls have all the fun. Please leave your comments below, including thoughts on diapers 1-3

#1--Blue Daisies

#2--Red Daisies

#3--Green Daisies

Go Canada!

2010-02-21T17:40:00.001-08:00

We're home cheering on Canada vs. USA tonight. I don't have a Team Canada jersey, or a Flames one for that matter, so Iginla will have to do! At least he's on the Canadian team. Coincidentally, I have 12 weeks to go! Go Iggy! Go Canada!

26 weeks

2010-02-01T10:28:00.001-08:00

Quite the difference between 18 and 26 weeks!! From the beginning of this pregnancy, I've gained 15 lbs. At my 20 week appointment, I was measuring 24 weeks!! At my 24 week appointment, I was measuring 25 weeks, so Baby and I are on track. I was really careful with what I ate during my first pregnancy, but it's been much harder this time around. I try to get some protein in with each meal, but even that has been difficult at times. I try to nap whenever I can, but sometimes I just lie there in bed (if Harry even lets me nap--he's been a stinker these days), completely unable to sleep even if my body is screaming to! I don't remember Harry flip-flopping around this much this early. Sometimes I feel like Baby #2 is HUGE already!! He stills plays shy with Harry and most people that try to feel him kicking, but Dave has felt him move, and I'm feeling him all the time. I get some Braxton-Hicks contractions, heartburn, lots of round ligament pains, and painful muscle spasms in my calves at night. So far, I think this pregnancy has been more difficult physically. We've picked out a name though, and we'll try to keep it a secret!! I'm keeping a list of first initials on a side bar on this blog...first initials that Baby Boy Camwell will NOT have! Have fun guessing!

No, thank you!

2010-01-25T10:26:00.000-08:00

Harry and I have been talking about his baby brother every day. Yesterday I asked him,

"Harry, who will your baby brother look like? Mommy, Daddy or Harry?"

Harry: "Um, Daddy?"

Mommy: "OK, you think the baby will look like Daddy?"

Harry: "Um, Mommy?"

Mommy: "OK, you think the baby will look like Mommy?"

Harry: "Thomas!"

Mommy: "No, let's hope the baby does NOT look like Thomas the Tank Engine!"

Baby's first present

2010-01-11T19:02:00.001-08:00

Baby #2 got his first Christmas present--first present at all!--from Uncle Derek and Aunt Jan. I can't wait to fill it up with this little person! There's nothing sweeter than a warm little baby in a cozy sleeper. :)

It's a...

2009-12-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

...boy!

Baby Boy Camwell made himself known right away at my ultrasound today! (We won't show you the photo with his boy parts!) He wouldn't cooperate with us, so we don't have a cute profile photo. This one is like our little skeletor baby is peering up against the window that is my uterus. :) Peek-a-boo!

He was kicking up a storm, so the technician had a hard time getting a shot of both precious feet.

Harry is very excited to be getting a baby brother!

Place your bets...

2009-12-13T16:28:00.000-08:00

My ultrasound is on Monday, Dec. 21. Is Baby #2 a boy or a girl??

Leave your guess in the comment section below. :)

18 weeks

2009-12-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late on my "16 week" shot...

Things are good! I'm generally feeling well. I have some heartburn like last time, and depending on what I eat, I've had some bad gas pains that keep me up at night. But I'm feeling baby kick more and more, and pretty soon Daddy and Harry will be able to feel the kicks too! Harry likes laying his head on my tummy and sucking his thumb. It's very sweet...and then he sticks his finger in my belly button or pinches my tummy hard! My 16 week appointment went well--Baby's heartbeat was in the 160's--but I didn't like the doctor. I hadn't met her before--she's the newest in the practice. She didn't make eye contact with me when she met me at the beginning, she spent 5 minutes trying to determine my due date...um...why?, and her answers generally showed a lack of experience and confidence. I won't be scheduling more appointments with her if I can help it. I'd had some cramping and spotting in the few days leading up to my appointment, and she didn't quite reassure me. After obliging me with scheduling an ultrasound (reason: "threatened pregnancy"...which I find slightly funny since the ultrasound was scheduled 4 weeks later...she couldn't come up with a different reason?), her exact non-reassuring words were, "Well, if anything bad does happen at this point, there's nothing we can do about it." Boo! To end on a positive note, I will indeed be having my ultrasound at 20 weeks, only 2 weeks away!! Hopefully Baby will cooperate and turn the right way so we can see about buying a blue or pink little something for Christmas! :)

"12 Weeks"

2009-11-03T06:29:00.001-08:00

Here I am at, well, almost 13 weeks. Just looking nice and fat. :) The pants are regular non-maternity pants but with a waistband expansion belt that I think you can see pretty clearly through my stretchy shirt in the photo. Like I'm wearing a belt with a buckle. Non of my maternity pants fit right now, so it was either wear sweatpants/yoga pants all day every day (tempting), wear the belly belt thing, or buy new maternity pants. Just on Sunday I did buy some new maternity pants, so I may be wearing those a lot until my belly gets big enough to wear my old pants. It's a lot different the second time around!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-30T18:11:00.001-07:00

12 weeks plus

2009-10-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, we are way behind the times this pregnancy! I'm officially 12 weeks and 5 days, and we haven't taken my belly photo yet. I have a feeling this will be a continuing trend...

My 12 week appointment was this morning and everything went fine, all 30 seconds of it! I heard Baby's heartbeat for the first time, in the 150's. We didn't hear Harry's heartbeat at my 12 week appointment, and I had an ultrasound as a result. I didn't gain any weight in the past 4 weeks, but that evened out the 8 lbs I gained in the first 8 weeks!! I blame that on my inactivity during Wicked!

I was also lucky enough to be at the clinic on a day they received 400 H1N1 vaccines, so I stayed and got immunized. No waiting for me! :)

I'm feeling great. Happy to hear the heartbeat, because I really don't feel pregnant otherwise! I'm starting to show though!

Welcome to the new blog! We've officially made the public announcement!

Facebook statuses I can't post

2009-10-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

Jillian...

"is nauseous!"

"is feeling the nauburn again."

"has sore boobs."

"is tired...again."

"is definitely suffering from baby brain." (This one refers to the day I got to Homemaker's Furniture, went to the bathroom, and looked down at my feet to discover a black shoe on one foot and a brown shoe on the other. They had different heel heights, so I had to limp around the store and pray that nobody noticed my lack of fashion sense.)

"wishes she had a doppler machine so she could hear the baby's heartbeat any time I wanted!"

"is ok with ice cream again."

Baby's first photo shoot

2009-10-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

Here's Baby Camwell, version 2.0, at 9 weeks.

I had my 8-week appointment on October 2, and sure enough, they scheduled me for an ultrasound the following week to confirm my due date.

I was pretty much bang on my estimated due date of May 10. The doctor has May 8 as the "official" date. We had the first ultrasound for Harry when I was at least 3 weeks further along. What a difference. In his, you could see a definite baby shape. For this one, I had to ask which side was the head. (The left side of the photo, in case you're wondering yourself!) Oh, a mother's love! I love my little blob/peanut-shaped baby!

11 weeks...almost time for the unveiling of this blog! A few more people need to hear from me personally first though!

First trimester is in the pits

2009-10-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

I find it very amusing that both my pregnancies have involved some time in an orchestra pit for musicals. With Harry, I was nine months pregnant (2 weeks from my due date!) and playing one full week with "Camelot". I had timed the dialogues, and when I wasn't playing, if there was more than five minutes, I'd waddle out of the pit and use one of the stars' dressing rooms (usually Lancelot's) backstage. I didn't have time or energy to run up the stairs and use the musicians' bathroom.

This pregnancy, I am spending a good chunk of my first trimester playing in the pit orchestra for "Wicked". I'm actually feeling great. Don't need to use the bathroom very often, breathing is ok, reeds...well, can't be perfect. I did have one moment last night where I felt shaky, a little faint, and a little queasy, but it was because it was so darn hot down there! I finished all my water and had to get up and get some more during a dialogue section. I'm having fun though!

I guess if I want to get pregnant again, the thing to do is accept a playing gig with a musical!

Symptoms at 6 weeks

2009-09-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

"Now" ("Then" in brackets)

Sore breasts (don't remember this one last time)
Nausea (yes)
Hungry all the time! (yes)
Need to pee all the time (yes)
Tired (yes)
Bad skin (don't think so last time--boo, baby! Let's hope this is only a passing phase!)
Weight gain (um, this early? no! I'm not supposed to look pregnant yet, and I'm finding that I have to suck it in a lot!!)

I know this is pretty much impossible, but a couple times I've felt as though I've felt little twinges of...something. Like when I first felt Harry move. Very odd, and this would only be possible if I'm further along than I've estimated. I wouldn't be surprised if, based on the info I give the nurse at my first visit, if they suggest an ultrasound to get an accurate due date. Only a couple weeks to go!

Positive!

2009-09-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

I dug out the prescription Progesterone pills and got ready to take them. I got out the pregnancy test. I looked at my chart and counted back to when I might possibly have ovulated. 18 days. I actually psyched myself up to take the pills. I said to myself, "just take the test, and if it's negative, at least you'll know it's likely accurate, then we can get this show on the road!" Um, yeah, so the test was positive! I was truly expecting to see one line, and my exact words upon seeing the second (though fainter) line were: "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!!" If I really think about it now, two days later, those are the same words. I am pregnant! I am pregnant without the help of any drugs whatsoever!!

So, my "just-in-case" waiting game of a teensy-weensy chance of being pregnant, and thus not taking the progesterone, turned out to be a good call! Although when I think about it, your progesterone level rises after ovulation, so I doubt it would've made any difference.

When I became pregnant with Harry, I rushed out to a sleeping Dave and held the stick up in front of his face. He woke up to this stick, looked up at me, looked at the stick, back at me, and said, "are you pregnant?" This time, Dave was out of town!! This was Thursday, September 3 at about 10am. Harry was at Wee Care, and Dave wouldn't be home from North Dakota until 4:30pm. I would be teaching until 5:30, then Dave would have to leave to listen to auditions at Simpson. How could I possibly wait that long?! I thought of some fun ways to tell Dave, including getting a babysitter for the following night, taking him out to dinner and telling him then. Couldn't wait that long. I ended up telling Harrison first! I said, "Harry, you are going to be a big brother! Can you say, 'big brother'?" and he chirped, "big brother!" "Can you say, 'little brother'?" "Little brother!" "Can you say, 'little sister'?" "Little sister!" It made me happy.

The way I told Dave was this: I took a photo of the stick! Ick factor...well, I didn't save the stick!!! After I finished teaching, Dave got his jacket on to go to school, and I said, "Wait! I want to show you some cute photos I took of Harrison!" He scrolled through the photos on our camera (I wasn't lying, there were some great ones from that day), and when he got to this one, he got a confused look on his face...

He said, "what's this?" I wouldn't answer, I just smiled. He said, "Are you pregnant?" (Um, same words as last time!) And I said to Harry (sitting in his high chair), "Can you say, 'big brother'?" and Harry told Dave he was going to be a big brother. :)

Of course, then Dave had to rush off for auditions with this earth-shattering news laid at his feet. :0

I don't think it's hit me yet. Except for the symptoms. I wondered this last time too: am I just feeling psychosomatic symptoms, or am I truly nauseous, hungry and very tired? Thank goodness Dave is back in town, because I really needed a nap this afternoon. I think I'll be napping every day when Harry naps. Sorry, house. You won't be clean for a while. I called my OB-GYN to schedule an appointment, and of course the receptionist couldn't really figure out what to put down as the start date of my last cycle. If they went with June 24, my actual start date, the due date would be March 31, 2010! Uh, yeah right! I told her I'd ovulated around August 14, and in the end, I just said, "Put down August 1 as my last start date." With that date, my due date would be May 11, 2010 (Dave's dad's birthday), making me 4 weeks and 5 days pregnant now. I found a good online calculator if you do chart your ovulation and luteal phase: Due Date Calculator That gave me an estimated due date of May 10. I have my nurse visit on October 1--my "8" week appointment. I remember that seemed so far away when I was pregnant the first time. We'll see what they say then, but I have a feeling I'll be given an ultrasound on the early side to confirm a due date!

Fun stuff: At four weeks, my baby is now the size of a poppy seed!! Crazy!! Click to see a photo slideshow of gestational growth. (Not mine, really!)

Happy times...except not being able to tell anyone yet!! I really want to tell our family and close friends, but we'd like to tell parents in person, and both sets of grandparents (minus my dad) will be here in a few weeks! My mom is first, then Dave's parents. We'll have to tell my dad over the phone while my mom is here. I don't want to tell friends before family. Soooooo hard!!!

T.M.I.

2009-08-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to be brutally honest. Don't read this blog if you don't want the details of pregnancy. If you want the cute kid at the end of the process, go read our family blog at Team Camwell.

Let's talk cycles.

Still not pregnant...at least, I'm pretty sure I'm not. But I am approaching the 70-day mark of my current cycle. In the days before pregnancy tests, I'm pretty sure I would be convinced I was pregnant. Confession: I am taking a fertility drug. I did for Harrison, but this time it's Femara. A friend said, "get ready for triplets!!" but the doctor told me the risk of multiples is low like Clomid. Anyway, I'd been on the drug for one cycle, did not get pregnant, and the dates when I would have taken the drug for the second cycle would have caused me to ovulate while Dave was in Thailand. I'm pretty sure you can't make a baby without the daddy...but what do I know? ;) Anyway, I decided to skip it for a month...and the month is still going on!!! I also chart my cycles using the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), which I highly recommend for any woman to help know her body better. Due to illness and travel, I did not ovulate. I lost my thermometer (well, the airline did) for a couple of days, and of course when I resumed taking my temps in the morning, they were up, which is one indication of ovulation. The misconception of taking your temperature to determine ovulation is that people think, "yeah! I'm ovulating!" when actually, by the time your temp is up, it is too late, the egg is gone. Knowing your other body signs is important. Don't rely solely on temperature. Anyway...this just means I couldn't pin-point when I ovulated, so I have no idea if I'm pregnant or when I can take a pregnancy test and have the result be accurate. My guesstimation is the end of this week.

I talked to my doctor (via her nurse...gotta love big offices), and she prescribed progesterone for me to cause me to start my period. Confession: I have not taken the drug, even though I'd taken a pregnancy test. The test was almost two weeks ago, and although it was negative, if I truly hadn't ovulated, not only was it a waste of money, but it was so because it would have been way too soon! Sooo...I was going to start taking the drug, but my temps have stayed up. If you're in an "anovulatory" cycle, your period will simply start without having ovulated, and the biggest indicator is that your temperature never jumped up and stayed up (the "luteal" phase when the fertilized egg is implanted in your uterus, or the 10-18 days before your period begins--unfertilized egg). So, on the teensy weensy chance that I'm pregnant, I am not taking the drug! When does my 18-day window end though? That's the frustrating part! And a 70+ day cycle? I'm sorry if it's T.M.I., but that's just freaking ridiculous.

The waiting game

2009-06-19T16:44:00.001-07:00

How premature, how silly of me to dream up this blog before it was needed. Every month is agonizingly long when you're trying to get pregnant. At least for the past two cycles, I have not used pregnancy tests too soon. Saved a bit of money and heartache there. For a while, as with the months leading up to my last pregnancy (see: Heart-throb Harrison), I thought it would be wise to invest in pregnancy test stocks. I'd make a killing if other women were like me, hoping for a positive result, knowing full well they should wait until a few days after their next cycle was supposed to begin, even when they've been charting and there has been no indication of ovulation.

I had a little fantasy I foolishly allowed myself to believe this month. I thought if I could just hold out until Father's Day to take my test, I could give Dave a great surprise, or at least a special sort of announcement involving Harry, instead of a repeat of last time: Picture Jill crouched down next to Dave as he was trying to sleep in; she holds a stick showing two lines in the magical window, not just one, and she has a big goofy smile on her face. Dave eventually senses my presence and squints at the pee stick before saying, "is that what I think it is? Are you pregnant?" OK, maybe it wasn't a planned announcement involving a themed meal consisting of baby carrots, baby bok choy and baby back ribs (see: Full House, Rebecca tells Jesse she's pregnant), but it wasn't so bad.

I had a bit of a shock at the doctor's office last week when I went in to get my blood drawn to see whether or not I'd ovulated (result: yes). Their computers were down, so the receptionist at the front had to fill out a different form. She asked me what the blood draw was testing, and I said my progesterone level. She put down her pen, looked up and said, "Oh honey, are you having a hard time getting pregnant?" If upon reading this, your jaw has not hit the floor, let me point out how inappropriate this is. Not only was it frankly none of her business (read: unprofessional), but it was at the check-in desk with other people around, and she did not attempt to lower her voice. I said, "I'd rather not say," and she said, "oh honey, it's ok. My granddaughter is going through the same thing right now..." and continues to tell me about how everything will proceed. I say, "actually this is the second time I've gone through this, so I know," and she interrupts, saying, "sometimes it takes two or more cycles before it works...my granddaughter, blah..." I reached over the counter and slapped her. OK, I didn't. I actually just smiled politely, willing the conversation to be over. In all honesty, I don't care if the whole office knows that I'm reproductively challenged (which I'm really not, or at least I hope not), but it wasn't her job to say those things but only to write down "progesterone level" on the blood work form. She really did only mean to be nice, and she was of an older generation. But really? Don't they train medical office personnel to treat patients with a little more confidentiality and professionalism than that? I was pretty mad.

Well, there can be no doubt I didn't have to wait until Father's Day to find out it was not meant to be this time. Sadly, I cannot blame my round belly on a growing baby (another fantasy), but rather a lack of exercise and too much fast food and cookies while I've been on the road in the past 3 weeks. The waiting game continues. It's really not a fun game at all.