Big Boy Bed

Because we have the birth of a new baby boy rising fast on the horizon (6 weeks!!), we've started getting Caleb ready for the transition. We're planning on keeping the boys in the same room, with James in the crib and Caleb in a toddler bed. James will be in a bassinet either in our room or the guest room until he's sleeping through the night, so that gives us a little time, but we decided to go ahead and start getting Caleb used to a toddler bed.

We found a metal frame toddler bed with mattress (used, but barely) for a great deal, and only had to put a new coat of paint on the frame to make all things new. At first it wasn't the clean contemporary bed I had envisioned, but then I realized that the room is pretty vintage-y already, and the bed fits perfectly in it.

(We've since moved the bed so one long side is along the wall)

Caleb loves it, too! The first day it went in his room, he wanted to sleep in it. He was done with the crib! I had planned on a little slower approach, but oh well! In the toddler bed Caleb went. He only had a couple of days to try it out before we went on vacation, then home a week, then gone another week, and now home again. So we're still in the trial and error stage!

(Caleb loves to wrap up in his blanket!)

Trying out his bed for the first time...the tear on his cheek? He'd already managed to roll off and had a little cry about it!

Naptimes have been hardest, since it's daylight and all his toys are just so visible! He's learned to play quietly...and then scoot back to the bed as soon as we open the door! Stinker. Today I left a toy with him in the bed, and he was asleep within 15 minutes, which is a record so far! However, he was asleep on the floor...evidently he was tired of rolling out, though last night I don't think he rolled out at all. We've padded the floor with lots of blankets, and I guess Caleb thought they were more comfy than his bed. Though when he woke up from his nap, it was sort of in an interrupted way, like he needed to sleep longer. He crawled back into his bed, but by that time he was awake.

Tonight I left the same toy in his bed, and I could hear him playing with it for the next 30-45 minutes, so it didn't work quite as well, but at least he wasn't in and out of his bed for an hour, which has been our frustration so far.

So we're definitely still adjusting. But I know Caleb is getting more used to it and understanding the rules better every day. He's even learning not to roll around quite so much! I know he'll have this whole toddler bed thing down pat by the time James shares a room with him.

Dr. Appt: 32 1/2 Weeks

So here we are, charging through this third trimester. Our 32-week appointment got bumped back a little, so we're almost to 33 weeks.

Here are the stats:
Weight: Gained 5 pounds in 2.5 weeks. Woohoo for goin' home to Momma's cookin! Total weight gain of 30 pounds.
Uterus: Measured in at 31 cm, a gain of 3 cm in the last 2.5 weeks
Blood pressure: 112/70
Baby's heart rate: just right

Today's visit was short and sweet. I didn't really have any questions but one, and it wasn't even baby-related. I've found out that my primary care physician won't see me while I'm pregnant; in essence, my OB becomes my PCP during those 9 months. So, my question was about my hands, which had gotten all itchy and bumpy over the last few weeks. At first it was nothing, just a little spot on my thumb, but then my skin started to dry and crack, and then the bumpiness and itchiness spread to my palm and then to my other hand. I'd kind of freaked out, thinking I had some sort of athlete's foot fungus on my hands, and I was a walking disease.

But the good ol' internet assured me that what I had was a sort of eczema, called dishydrotic eczema. As with anything, the internet was pretty broad in causes and treatments, so I spent the last few days using hydrocortizone cream and taking Benadryl--both prego-approved--which at least helped the itching, though it still spread to my fingers and threatens to show up on the soles of my feet, as well.

When I showed Dr. W my hands, she immediately confirmed my diagnosis. She commented that this type of eczema is one of only two dermatological issues that arise with pregnancy (the second--and more common--being acne). She said it was purely hormonal and would probably not go away until after the baby is born, or maybe even only after I stop nursing, but until then she prescribed a stronger steroid cream.

So it turns out that my non-pregnancy-related issue was really pregnancy-related after all. I still feel a little like a walking disease, but at least it's not contagious, and the worst of it on my thumb is healing up. Hopefully the cream will keep the rest in check. I just have to endure itchiness for the next...oh...year or so. I'm really looking forward to that.

In other, much more interesting, news, I've been belated in our baby name announcement! After much deliberation, we have chosen:

James Elliot Norvell

James (Jim) Elliot was a missionary in Ecuador and died serving the Lord there. Maybe Jon will write more about the meaning behind the name sometime. As for the James/Jim question, I'm sticking with James for now, though Jon's going with Jim. We're all for solidarity!

Even More Past Posts

Whew, I think I might have finally caught up on photos of Caleb up through March! My mom said the other day that I don't take pictures of Caleb, but I think now she'll know that I do...I just don't get around to sharing them! So here are some final posts from March:

Trip to Nana's and Granddad's

All in a Day's Play

All in a Day's Play Pt. 2 (there was a wardrobe change, but these two posts were pics from the same day)

Another post from the past!

Here's another post from March, about putting our irises in.

As a side note, despite planting the irises so late, they all greened up and leafed out, and a few even bloomed! Some of these irises had never been planted before, but had been forgotten in a bag in the garage for over a year! I'm telling you, irises are the flower for me!

A post from the past

I've realized that I have several folders of photos that have never made it to the blog. In an attempt to fix that, I've posted up the first of several blogs (hopefully).

This is our trip to the Crater of Diamonds State Park back on March 18. It's hard to look at all the outdoor photos and think it's anything but hot and humid and yucky, but you'll notice we're all wearing pants, and I've even got a sweatshirt on! It was really beautiful weather, cool enough for long sleeves in the shade. Enjoy!