... I'm having some serious doubts about the name we chose for this baby boy... even though I'm almost 34 weeks and we decided ages ago.
I really want to love Sullivan. It has a lot of meaning to me. It is my maiden name, a name that I was proud of and loved. I'll be honest- I was actually a little sad to wave goodbye to my maiden name and take my husband's name when we got married. I thought it would be a neat way to carry on the Sullivan family name- and apparently, so do a lot of the Sullivans!
BUT no matter how hard I've tried, I just can't picture calling a baby, or child, or even a teenager Sullivan. Sully, yes. I looove the nickname Sully. {It was my nickname in high school + college track & cross country} But Sullivan just sounds so clunky and long to me. I'm not sure if it's because it was my former last name or what... I thought I would get used to it over time, but I haven't. Every time I refer to this baby, I call him Sully, and I feel like I should love his full name as much (if not MORE) than his nickname. Some people have suggested just naming him Sully, but to me it isn't strong enough to stand alone as a first name, particularly for an adult in the business/professional world.
As time passes, I've been thinking worrying about this more and more. I feel a little funny changing it because it took us SO long to finally agree on a name, we've already announced it, it is already up on the nursery wall. At the same time, I'm just not 100% sold on the name.
The name that is growing on me more and more (which we ALMOST chose instead of Sullivan) is Emmett. Yes, it is similar to Elliot- which was the main thing holding me back before. Buuut, at this point, I'm just so happy to have a name we both agree on and love... and I actually really like how Elliot & Emmett sound together.
His full name would be Emmett Sullivan- so my maiden name would still be in there.
Hmmm... decisions, decisions!
How far along? 33 weeks 3 days.
Baby’s Size: a honeydew melon- 17.2-18.7 inches & 4.2-5.8 lbs.
Total Weight Gain: 30 lbs... well on my way to gaining 45 pounds again this pregnancy, like I did with Elliot. That's fine by me, as long as I lose it as easily and quickly this time!
Bellybutton: Out. :) Aaron is always poking it.
Stretchmarks: a couple more small and faint ones around my belly button :( Surprisingly, none on my butt this time around! I guess it did all it's stretching last pregnancy, haha!
Maternity Clothes: I {still} haven't bought any maternity clothes, isn't that nuts?! I'm just wearing my regular shorts, and my longer shirts and dresses.
Gender: all boy, as we all know. :)
Movement: Oh yes- and he's definitely still breech. His head is always under my ribs and it drives me INSANE. It's incredibly uncomfortable, especially when I'm sitting down.
Sleep: I've been falling asleep on the couch every night by 9 before dragging myself up to bed. We've been busy, it's been hot, and I've been exhausted. So I'm sleeping relatively well- other than waking up to pee.
Symptoms: plenty of braxton hicks, lots of pressure, SUPER swollen feet/ankles, lower back pain... I'm just not comfy these days. I love being pregnant but I'm pretty much over it now. Excited for the next few weeks to pass so I can meet my baby boy and NOT be pregnant anymore!
Food Aversions: Are you kidding me? EVERYTHING looks and sounds good these days...
Food Cravings: ice cream, ice cream, ice cream. And chocolate. Even in the morning! Don't worry, I don't eat any that early... but I certainly do think about it!
Best Moments this week: Aaron randomly turned to me a few days ago and said, "I can't wait for Sully to be here." We're generally so busy right now with Elliot and just... life... that we don't just sit and talk about his upcoming arrival the way we did when I was pregnant with Elliot. So it was really cute to hear him randomly say that. :)
What I miss: I'm ready to start running again, to get my body back, and to be able to sit comfortably.
What I am Looking forward to: OB appointment next Monday, and we are also going to finish up shopping for the rest of what we need for Sully. It's so exciting to be buying "little baby" things again!
Milestones: Only four weeks until full term, and seven weeks until my due date!
We're alive. I swear. We have been SUPER busy and I just haven't had the time or energy to blog lately. Soo, let's play a little game of catch up, shall we?
Elliot finally got better... and then got sick again. He was better for about a week, and now he has another cough and nose full of green snot. I don't know if it's allergies or some kind of bug that he just can't shake... but it's driving me insane.
My sweet baby boy turned 16 months old.
It has been hot here in Texas so we have been spending most of our time outside. Elliot wouldn't have it any other way!
Elliot started WALKING!! He went from only taking a step or two to walking clear across the room, or around the pool, etc... in one day. I suspect he was just fooling us all along.
Elliot has become a collector. Every time we go outside, he walks around collecting sticks, bark, flowers, grass, etc... as much as he can fit into his hands. Then he insists on bringing his collections home with him. It's pretty darn cute.
I am 33 weeks pregnant. Where has time gone?! It feels like I took that pregnancy test just days ago! I've been having a lot more contractions and some intense pressure lately. My feet, ankles, and knees are also swelling really bad now, like they did in the last weeks before Elliot was born. I'm fairly certain that he is going to be bigger than Elliot was. His movement is SO much stronger (and more painful!). I also think he is mostly transverse/breech. He seems to always be pressing/driving his head into my right ribcage, like Elliot did. It is extremely uncomfortable, especially when I'm sitting down. I'm always wondering if Sully is planning an early arrival, like his brother, or if he is going to stay in there for the long haul.
The final, BEST news ever:
Aaron is now not deploying until October! Which means he will be home for the birth and first months of Sullivan's life (the months he missed with Elliot). It should also give me plenty of time to adjust to caring for two babies and establish a good routine. I am SO relieved!!
I know I haven't been blogging- no time. Here's an updated list of my poor Elliot's symptoms:
- fever finally gone after 4 days
- red, puffy eyes gone.
- 2 ear infections
- cough
- runny nose
- diarrhea- the WORST. We've gone through nine diapers already in the two hours that he's been awake.
- RASH- this is new. Red, splotchy rash over his belly and back. Popped up out of nowhere yesterday evening, doesn't seem any worse this morning.
I'm thinking he may have Roseola on top of the ear infections. He seems to fit all the symptoms, especially now that the rash has appeared after his fever finally went away. That would actually be relatively good news because usually they get better shortly after the rash appears.
My poor baby!
Elliot has had a thick runny nose for weeks now. WEEKS. At first, I thought it was just a cold. Then, I decided that it was probably allergies, because allergy season is in full swing here in Texas and I've been feeling pretty crappy lately thanks to my allergies.
Friday he started running a temperature that slowly turned into a high fever, and he also started having diarrhea. Yesterday, he was completely lethargic and out of it. He was even exhausted after waking up from his THREE AND A HALF HOUR nap! His fever had broken, and it was HOT outside, so we decided to head out to the river where Elliot would have a nice distraction {he was super fussy just hanging out around the house}. Well, he didn't want to play in the water, explore the rocks, eat smores, or do ANYTHING, really.
After a little bit, his fever returned and he was just laying in everyone's laps looking quite pathetic and miserable.
... and before long, he just konked out right in the midst of all the noise and activity.
We packed up and headed home. He was just burning up. BURNING UP! Of course, I couldn't find our thermometers {somehow Elliot had managed to lose both of them} and none of our neighbors happened to have one, either. So after some debate, we decided to give him a quick lukewarm bath, followed by the bottle he was begging us for, more Tylenol, and we put him to bed.
He slept fine until about 3am, when he woke up screaming because his fever had spiked again and his sheets and clothes and... everything... was covered in poop. I stayed up with him from 3-7 before he finally fell asleep again. The minute he woke up we headed straight for the ER to find out what the heck was wrong with our little man.
Turns out, he has an ear infection in each ear, and the doctor was concerned because he was also showing a lot of flulike symptoms. In her words, he "looked" like the flu with his high fever, red eyes and cheeks, runny nose, and his poor sore bum. Sooo, we were sent home with medications and are supposed to head straight back if he gets any worse.
One of the hardest parts about being a mama is when your little love gets sick and there's nothing you can really do about it other than try to comfort them. :( Hopefully he feels better soon!
