Baby McDermott: 2012

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Maternity Photos

We had the pleasure of taking some maternity photos a few weeks ago with a new photographer in Austin and I am in love with how everything turned out! Check out some of my favorite shots from the day:

Friday, October 12, 2012

37 Weeks! (Full-Term)

I am currently 37 weeks pregnant and officially FULL TERM! Where has the time gone?

I cannot believe that in 3 weeks (or less) that we will have our sweet Baby Caitlin in our arms!

Here is a bump shot back from August when I was 30 weeks along:

And here I am last week when I was 36 weeks:

Pregnancy updates:

Food Cravings: Same as before - nothing too crazy. Still really into ice cream (and the dairy helps with heartburn, so its a win-win!)
Weight Gain: Right at 25 pounds. I am on track to end up right about 30 pounds total - which is right in the middle of the recommended weight gain!
How I am Feeling: I think it is FINALLY hitting me that I am having another baby! (Took me long enough??) I am excited, anxious and nervous about how things will be with two kids in the house and how James will adjust.
Sleep: What sleep? I pretty much wake up every hour these days due to potty breaks, being uncomfortable or heartburn issues. I guess it is my body preparing me for the newborn days coming up!
Physical Ailments: Mainly heartburn, having to potty all the time and just being uncomfortable as I get bigger.
Baby Movement: A lot of jabs and kicks. Caitlin is head down, so I only feel movement in the upper part of my belly now.
How James is Doing: He is still doing pretty good. He has had a few moments of jealousy when we buy/get something new & exciting for Caitlin and he decides that he wants it. Last weekend he was playing with some of the toys in the baby's room and he told me that "Caitlin is sharing with him!"
Baby's Room: Still a work-in-progress! The room is painted, all the furniture is in and set up. I need to hang up stuff on the walls and finish a few projects. Also need to finish cleaning out the closet and getting all the baby stuff set-up (the pack-n-play, swing, bouncer, etc).
Baby's Size: We had an ultrasound last week and it looks like Caitlin will be a big one! They are already estimating her size at 7 pounds and think she will probably weigh in somewhere around 8 pounds when she is born. Her legs are also quite long and her head is big (which is no surprise given Brian, James and I all have big heads!)
Baby's Arrival: The doctor thinks Caitlin will be making an early arrival. I am hoping it is NOT on Halloween! In case she does not come on her own, we have decided to induce me on my due date as a back-up plan. Which means that at the most, we have exactly 3 weeks till we meet Caitlin!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

99 Days

Only 99 days to go until our little girl, Caitlin Michele, makes her arrival!

I am currently 25 weeks, 6 days along with this pregnancy and am just now getting around to posting my first baby/bump update! Better late than never, right?

Here I am in all my baby bump glory!

Pregnancy updates:

Food Cravings: Nothing too crazy. I have been really into breakfast food this pregnancy (Pop-Tarts, donuts). I also really like ice cream - especially the Coffee Chocolate Chunk flavor from HEB.... so good!
Weight Gain: Surprisingly, only about 9 pounds. At my last doctor appointment, my doctor actually told me to eat more as I only gained 2 pounds that month!
How I am Feeling: Very TIRED! I think I may have low iron again (like I did with James), as I am constantly tired. No matter what I do, once it hits 9pm I just want to sleep!
Sleep: It is going OK. I wake up usually 1-3 times to use the bathroom and it is taking longer to get comfortable each night!
Physical Ailments: back pain, sciatica, round ligament pain, heartburn
Baby Movement: I have an anterior placenta again, meaning it cushions a bunch of movement - but I do actually feel quite a bit of movement! Caitlin is WAY more active than James was and I can feel movement most of the day and the occasional pretty good kick! I sense a soccer player in our future!
How James is Doing: He is doing pretty good. He likes to say "Momma, Baby Caitlin is in your belly!" and then he will give my belly kisses. He also will cover my belly with a blanket and say Caitlin is cold. He has also asked to hold her on his lap, take her to school and feed her a bottle. We have to remind him that he cannot do that until she is actually here! I think James is going to make a great big brother!
Baby's Room: It is a work-in-progress! I have been slowly cleaning out the room of all non-baby stuff and that is taking longer than usual. Next step is to paint the room and get all the furniture set up. Then comes the fun part - decorating and working on all the fun projects I have planned for the room!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Life via Instagram

I tend to take more pictures with my phone these days and really need to make more of an effort to use the nice camera. Anyways, enjoy some shots of James from the last few weeks...

From left to right, top to bottom:

Borrowing Mommy's Snuggie
Getting ready for swim lessons
Relaxing on the couch
Showing off my new hat
Hanging out with my Cat in the Hat
Wearing my hat like Daddy
Swimming!
Playing in my turtle sandbox
Yummy watermelon
Playing my cat keyboard

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Baby #2 - Is it a BOY or a GIRL?

I did this with James and thought it would be fun to do with Baby #2 as well.

There are SO many old wives’ tales out there that supposedly indicate whether you are having a boy or a girl - so just for fun, I thought I would test some of them out to see what is in store for us this round!

After each tale, I have indicated whether we will be having a boy or a girl according to the specifics:

Morning Sickness – If you did not experience morning sickness in early pregnancy it is a boy and it is a girl if you did have morning sickness early in pregnancy = BOY
Baby’s Heart Rate – If the heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute, it is a boy and if its more than 140 beats per minute, it is a girl = GIRL
Acne - An increased amount of acne during pregnancy means you are having a baby girl = BOY
Food Cravings - If you crave salty food while pregnant it means you are having a boy and if you crave sweet food while you are pregnant it means you are having a girl = GIRL
Hands – Dry hands mean a boy and soft hands mean a girl = GIRL
Age + Conception #1 - The Mayans take the mothers age at conception and the year of conception and add them together. If the result is an even number then mom is having a girl. If the result is an odd number then a boy is on the way = GIRL
Age + Conception #2 - Add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived. If the sum is even it’s a boy, if its odd a girl = BOY
Weight - If someone can’t tell you are pregnant from the back, it’s a boy because with a girl you would be pregnant all over = BOY
Chinese Lundar Calendar = GIRL

Boy wives tales: 4

Girl wives tales: 5

So, it looks like GIRL this time around! We shall see find out soon enough...

Monday, May 21, 2012

A Letter to James (May 2012)

James, you are two years and 3 months old.

I think it is safe to say you are definitely not a baby anymore. You are a full-blown toddler.

You continue to amaze me and frustrate me on a daily basis. Life is so fun (and tiring) with you. I cannot wait to see what the future days, months and years hold for you.

Here is a little update on what you have been up to:

You are still TALKING up a storm. I have lost track of how many words you can say in a sentence now, but it is somewhere around 9-10 words. People are always impressed with how well you can communicate at this age. I think you get the talking gene from me!

You are very ACTIVE. You love to run. You love to play. You have also been taking soccer lessons at daycare and you seem to love it. You tell us about the goals you scored!

You love to be OUTSIDE. You always want to play outside now. After I pick you up from daycare, you like to play out front with all your trucks or color in the driveway. We also now have a playscape in the backyard and you love to climb up and go down the slide. Or you like to play in the sandbox and then take the sand up with you on the slide. Or you like to swing. You also like to help Daddy water his plants in the backyard.

You do not like SLEEP. Not sure what happened, but you cry now pretty much every time we mention a nap or nighty-night time. You tell us “I no go night-night” at least several times a day. We got you a toddler pillow and that seems to help a little, but you still whine when it is finally time to turn out the lights and get in bed.

You love MICKEY MOUSE. You request to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at least a few times a day. We usually let you watch an episode in the AM while you finish waking up and eat your breakfast. I like Disney shows because they at least teach some kind of educational component (shapes, colors, numbers, etc) and you do seem to be learning from them.

You still love to run around NAKED. You run around naked in the house before and after baths and you like to run around the backyard naked after some pool time. One weekend, we had the kid pool out and you were running around and ended up peeing in the grass and you and Daddy were both so proud. You kept telling me “I pee in the grass mommy!” Did I mention you also peed on the couch one night and was proud of yourself until I yelled at you? Oh – the life of having a little boy!

You love to READ. We read several books every night before you go to bed. Your most recent favorite ones are Give A Mouse A Cookie (which was one of my favorites growing up), Good Night Charleston (sent from Paw-Paw & KK) and Dr. Seuss Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb.

You like to BRUSH you teeth. A big reason for this is because of your singing toothbrush (thanks Uncle G-Mo and Aunt April!). You like to tell us that your toothbrush sings and ours do not. You even dance around now while you brush your teeth. It is the cutest thing.

You end up at the DOCTOR a lot. Just last weekend you got bitten by a spider, which required an Urgent-Care visit over the weekend to get antibiotics. You have also had the flu, strep throat, hand foot & mouth disease, multiple ear infections, Nursemaid’s Elbow, allergic reaction to antibiotics – all in your short two years!

You (sometimes) like to EAT. You still drink a good amount of whole milk each day and you still love your Cheerios (honey or regular)! You also like chex cereal, granola bars, mac n cheese, string cheese, bananas, fried rice, edamame, peanut butter & honey sandwiches, cookies and crackers.

You are still STUBBORN. You like to do things on your own now and get mad if we try to help you. If you get in trouble, you put your head down and stick out your bottom lip. You also cry and sometimes you hit or kick things. We are trying to work on your anger and hopefully it will get better with time.

You love BRANDY. You like to call her “pretty girl” and give her big hugs. You even help me feed her, by getting her bowl for me.

You like to build a CASTLE out of blankets and pillows on the couch. You will put all your toys in there and hide out from us. Sometimes you even invite us in.

You finally like your PICTURE taken. That is, as long as I show you the picture immediately after I take it! You will now smile and say “cheese” when I have the camera out, but then you always run up and ask to see it.

You are going to be a BIG BROTHER. Yep, a new Baby McDermott is on the way – scheduled to arrive early November. Sometimes you will tell us you want a brother, but then five minutes later you decide you want a sister instead. Whatever you get, I am excited to see you turn into the role of big brother. I know you will do great!