Archer

At 9.01pm on May 10th (two days before his EDD) we welcomed our second beautiful little man, Archer Corey Tobias, into the world. I cannot wait to fully write out his birth story and share it with you all, but in the meantime here are some pictures of our Squishy Bub.

Archer was born weighing 2.96kg/6lbs 8oz, 49cm long with a 35cm head circumference. So far he is a dream baby, sleeping and feeding very well. I have never known a more peaceful bub :)
Leopold truly adores his little brother and I am looking forward to seeing their bond grow as they do.

I will post my birth story and many more pictures as soon as possible. Until then I am just enjoying getting to know this new little human and loving being a mummy of two!

35 Week Update

We had our growth scan last week and everything looks perfect with our little man. Definitely no IUGR issues so yay! He is measuring steadily along the 34th percentile and his estimated weight was 5lbs/2.3kg. I think if I go to 40+ weeks he will be a bit bigger than Leo, but still in the 7lb range. I have a feeling he may arrive earlier though :)
His head is measuring a lot bigger, but as Leopold was a big headed babe that does not surprise me in the slightest. Every day that goes by I am getting more and more excited to give birth and meet our beautiful bubba. I definitely need every one of the weeks I have left to get things ready for his arrival, but I am more excited than nervous.

Squishy Bub at 34w4d gestation. Look at those pouty lips!

35w1d

How far along?: 35 weeks
Total weight gain: +6.5kg from pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?: Not really, still squeezing in to all my normal clothes
Stretch marks?: No new ones surprisingly!
Sleep: It's not always comfy, but I seem to be getting enough
Best moment this week: Our growth scan results being all good and of course seeing Squishy Bub again
Miss Anything?: I miss not being pregnant! I'm still trying to enjoy it, but this is the hard bit now
Movement: I definitely don't experience movements slowing down like a lot of women do at the end of pregnancy, still as strong as ever
Food cravings: Cocoa Pops this week
Anything making you queasy or sick: Early mornings
Gender: Boy
Labour Signs:I get a very "real" contraction every day or so. It's intense and I need to breathe through it, it last about 1.5 minutes and builds to a peak then dies off just like a normal contraction. I have faith it's just my body preparing itself for birth and things are slowly happening
Symptoms: Pelvic issues are still causing me some grief. And my acid reflux/heartburn is awful, but an easier week this week
Belly Button in or out?: Outie all the way!
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Sore, sore and happy
Looking forward to: Wearing my Blackmilk clothing again haha

24 & 25 Week Update

Wow these weeks are really just flying by (that's my excuse for never updating on time). It feels like I should only be coming up to 20 weeks, not a few weeks off 30 weeks!

We had our 4d scan last week and it was simply amazing. I really regret not getting one done with Leo actually, would have been very interesting to compare their pictures! As it is we can already tell that bubs looks so much like his big brother. I'm looking forward to our second 4d scan (at 30w4d) because we'll be able to have an even better look at his cute little features ^-^ I am so in love with him already!

Cheeky little man had the cord over his face for half the scan and then his feet on his head for the other half. He's such a little cutie. The ultrasound tech was amazed when we could see him starting to open his eyes and said she had never seen a baby of this gestation do that, one strong bubba we have!

I am really disorganised

So I think we can establish that this blog won't be updated daily. That's okay though, I'll just do it when I have the time. Between mummy-stuff, wedding planning, appointments, errands and catch ups with friends I barely seem to have time for anything right now. The house is a mess, my business is hardly flourishing because I never make time to promote myself, but at least Leo is fed and happy.

He is sleeping so much better now. I'm hoping that he'll drop his dreamfeed soon, but given that he has some issues gaining weight (mostly genetic) I'm happy he is still getting that extra feed once a day. It is just such a change to not have to tend to a screaming toddler 6 times a night! Makes a huge difference to my overall mood. I wish he still enjoyed bedsharing, that would definitely make my life easier!
I like that he has put himself into his own routine. I never had to stress or force him, he just did it naturally by himself (I think most babies do given the chance). At the moment he wakes at around 7.30am, has some cuddles and nurses for awhile, then breakfast, nappy change and I get him dressed. Our mornings are usually pretty relaxed. He follows me around the house while we do housework, we snuggle up with a movie...Then he has a morning snack, cuddles and goes down for his nap at around 11.30am.
His sleep is usually around 1 and a half hours, so he gets up, has lunch and another nappy change. Usually the afternoon is when we go into town and run errands or catch up with friends. If the weather isn't nice or we have no plans I still like to take him outside for at least 20 minutes to play with the dogs and get some sunlight. I try to limit television in the after too so we read stories, listen to music and dance, play with blocks, do puzzles or drawing or just play with his different toys (and quite often saucepans and spoons too). Then it's afternoon snack, maybe a bottle or another boob feed as well. As the afternoon wears down I find some tv or quiet reading stops Leo from becoming too over stimulated. When G gets home things are easier because they can play while I make dinner.
Dinner is usually at around 7pm, some nights Leo has a bath, but he is always in bed before 8pm with a bottle and a story. Once he goes to sleep I finish any housework I have to do, go on Facebook, watch a movie with G and eventually get myself ready for bed.

My life feels so busy already I can imagine that Leo's fairly set routine will come in handy when we throw another baby or any study I want to do into the mix!

Madeleine xoxo