24 weeks - Baby #2

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along :  24 weeks

Size of Baby :  ~1 FOOT long & ~ 1.5 lb

Total Weight Gain : ~ 11 lbs

Maternity Clothes :  100%.  I've enjoyed pulling out my shorts and (new to me) skirt this week.  The weather has been so warm and sunny that I've been able to wear them.  And since they're lighter, they don't spend all day falling down and I don't spend all day pulling them up.

Best Moment This Week : It was so much fun putting together Ash's new Disney Cars room (he loves it) and celebrating Easter with church Saturday night and a relaxing Sunday morning.  I read him the Easter story in his Bible storybook and let him hunt a dozen eggs in the living room.

Gender : It's a boy!  I finally committed to the map/travel theme for the nursery and went to OfficeMax one morning with the boys and bought the maps.  Then Tuesday night while Josh was playing video games w/his friends, I went to JoAnns w/one of my maps (for color reference) and browsed.  I was SHOCKED to find a striped fabric that was just the colors I was looking for, then found a couple more fabrics that go well with that one.  So I think I have my fabric color scheme... just need to figure out what I'm making and how much I'll need of each.  And the room is UTTER CHAOS, so I need to spend some nap times and weekends working on getting things settled.

Movement : He's still about the same amount of active.  I have to say that I honestly get too busy to notice sometimes.  Running around with two toddlers in tow means I have less focus for the little one inside.  But no matter whether I've taken time to notice him or not, I like the quiet sitting I do on the couch at night or in church during the sermon b/c without lots of distractions and busyness, I get to really feel him moving.  Fun fact, he's actually kicking me (in the upper right, just like Ash did) as I type this.

Food Craving :  I'm finally done with The Fast, so this week is the week of indulging every sweet craving I've had the last two months.  Most of it has been chocolate based.  Reeses pieces, Java Chip Frappuccinos, chocolate croissant, ice cream... and that's just so far!  I still have Oreo's and a long John to devour at some point.  It's been a fun week, but come Sunday I'm heading back into The Fast except for 24 hrs/wk.  I feel like having the boundaries has really helped me to be a lot healthier.  I can tell this week I'm feeling icky, craving salad and fruit and fresh food b/c I've done so much junk food.

Never mind The Fast or The Indulgence, I have been craving salads.  Prepackaged ones with all the goodies included - nuts, cheese, fruit, veggies, chicken, whatever.  I've been eating one of those every couple days.  I've also just made up a kale salad (with apple, feta, cashews, lemon vinaigrette) to munch on for a couple days.  Also, strawberries.  I can't get enough strawberries!  And coffee.  Hot, cold, iced, blended - it all depends on the day and the weather.  But I've definitely been drinking it semi-regularly.

What I Miss Most : Being able to keep up.  We went shopping this weekend and I just couldn't move as fast as Josh.  And when I try, the B.Hicks kick in and slow me down anyway.  My life has been SO SLOW lately.  Everything takes twice as long as it should between my pregnancy and the two toddlers!!!

Sleep : It's bad.  I mean, some nights I sleep more than 2 hr stretches.  But I've also been going to bed too late.  Josh has worked a lot of overtime the past few weeks.  Some nights we don't even START our sit & watch TV routine till 9pm.  That means I'm up past 10pm on a work night, which is just too late.  As evidenced by the amount of coffee I've been drinking. :)

What I Am Looking Forward To : I can't wait to start putting things together in the nursery.  (not looking forward to the cleanup/prep that needs to happen first).  I also can't wait for family visits at the end of summer.  I've been so homesick lately.

Belly Button : same.  It really is threatening to pop this time.

Symptoms : Exhaustion, reflux, B.Hicks, back aches, forgetfulness and clumsiness... the usual.

Compared to last time : Same as last week.  More B.Hicks, less reflux & aches & no carpal tunnel.

23 weeks - Baby #2

Pregnancy Highlights:

23 weeks

How Far Along : 23 weeks

Size of Baby :  ~11" long & ~1+ lbs

Total Weight Gain : ~11 lbs.  Just when I was starting to worry b/c I hadn't gained weight in 3 wks, I had an overnight jump.  I'm still 6 lbs less in gain than last time, which puts me close to the same actual weight as I was then.  A happy-medium place to be.

Maternity Clothes :  100%.  I'm still using the belly band to help hold up my over-the-belly pants as my belly is still not quite big enough, but hopefully it won't be much longer.  I'm also really looking forward to the shorts and tanks season (still months away, I'm sure - though it's a beautiful 70° today).

Best Moment This Week : I really enjoyed taking Ash to the dentist and the barber all in one morning (clean teeth & a clean cut), but as usual the best was probably my OB appointment.  My appointments are still only every 4 weeks, so it's a monthly treat to hear that little thump-thump on the doppler.

The bones of Ash's nursery put together at 23 wks

Gender : It's a boy!  It's funny to go back and read about how far along we were at this point with Ash.  We already had a name picked out, and had the basics of the nursery almost completely put together.  For poor little #2, we've got nothing in the nursery yet and no name at all.  But this weekend we're taking Ash shopping, so the crib and rocker will move to the guest room and the transformation will slowly begin.

Movement : Still consistently moving at night when I'm lounging on the couch watching TV before bed and while I'm trying to fall asleep.  He moves at other times during the day, but I'm too busy and distracted with two toddlers to find patterns.  I'm grateful he moves just enough to keep worry at bay, but not so much that I'm uncomfortable.

I had thought he was getting super-strong and shoving his feet into me periodically until it occurred to me that I was having Braxton Hicks contractions that were squeezing the poor little guy.  So his feet were digging into me, but it wasn't his doing.  I've been a lot more careful this week to stay hydrated, and if I feel B.Hicks coming on I take it as a reminder to drink some more water and sit down and rest if that's possible (not always with 2 toddlers).  I'm a little relieved to know it's not him already showing aggressive tendencies. :)

Food Craving :  I've been drinking a LOT of (decaf) coffee & (not always decaf) iced tea.  Yum!  I've also had some really healthy cravings, like pre-made salads from the grocery store (greens, dried fruit, cheese, berry vinaigrette) and fresh strawberries.  Of course I'll still take pizza or CFA any day, but it's nice to feel the treats fast paying off in my mentality about food (at the moment... check back in after Easter!! ;-D)

What I Miss Most : Not constantly feeling tired, mostly.  Also being able to lay on my stomach.

Sleep : I'm pretty much waking up every couple hours to "roll over"... if only the operation of getting my body flipped the other direction within my pillow cocoon was as simple as a "roll over".  I tend to spend the night on either side leaning either forward or backward with the pillow keeping me at a
45° angle.

What I Am Looking Forward To : Tomorrow we take Ash shopping for his new bedroom stuff.  He doesn't even know yet, but it's going to be so much fun!  Then Sunday I can't wait to read the Easter story with him and let him hunt his dozen eggs (with just a couple M&M's, Reece's pieces, or Skittles in them).  I always loved the Easter egg tradition, when I was young enough to hunt AND when I was old enough to help hide the eggs for the little ones; I can't wait to pass it on to Ash.

Belly Button : same.

Symptoms : So it seems that I'm still dealing with occasional nausea. I can almost count on having one nauseous day each weekend (in addition to random weekdays too). I'm beginning to think that maybe sleeping in on Sat/Sun (therefore eating breakfast later) is too long between meals. Conundrum since I can't eat too late or chance reflux keeping me up at night, so I usually don't eat after dinner. Not sure how to fix it at the moment, but I'll figure out a balance eventually between my need for food and my need for sleep :)

Then there was the outbreak of B.Hicks this weekend that almost had me worried.  But I really did get under-hydrated.  Sometimes drinking water makes my reflux flare up, so Sunday when I was feeling nauseous I didn't feel like drinking more water.  Seems everything is about balancing two opposing symptoms/needs.  Since Sunday I've been much more intentional to drink all 100oz of water each day and keep my water bottle nearby to ward off those pesky contractions.  I'm definitely feeling them earlier/stronger than before, and recognizing them for what they are this time.

Otherwise it's the same old : reflux, fatigue, occasional aches.  Pretty ordinary, and it's been a decent week since I got past the weekend issues.

Compared to last time : Like I said, some things are worse than last time - like B.Hicks and nausea.  But other things are much better - less reflux, less back-aches (regular time at the gym paying off), and no carpal tunnel yet.  I'm so happy about that last one; I remember how annoying it was to have that constant tingle in my hand, and so far this time I've had none.  Here's hoping I can say that all the way through till the end.... :)

Ash - 2 yrs 3 mos

Getting big! 27 months old today.

Since it's been 3 months, it's no surprise that I've grown and developed SO much since my last post.  Mommy thinks she will aim for posting every other month instead of quarterly; too much growth happens in 3 months at this age.  All I know is that I'm having a blast and getting bigger and smarter every day.

Parallel play with my buddy Nathan - or back to back play, if you will

Size:  I'm wearing all 24mo & 2T clothes now.  Mommy is gradually putting away even my 18 mo pants & pj's b/c they were all too short for me.  Thankfully she found another stack of pants in my size sitting in the closet to replace them.

 

Outdoor play in any weather - snow day fun and climbing up to do the big twisty slide

Physical development:  My new friend Jack has taught me some new tricks, the best of which is playing on the playground.  After seeing how confident he was climbing up the steps and going down the slide, I decided to try it for myself; now I LOVE the slides!  I've started toddler "running" and can go fast enough for mommy to have to speed to keep up with me.  I can also climb in & out of the van and into my carseat on my own; this makes things much easier on mommy so she doesn't have to lift me up into the seat with her growing baby belly.

See my regular big boy cup?

I've started using a regular cup instead of a sippy cup at meal times.  Mommy says I can't dip or dunk in my cup till I'm 3, so I've got lots of time to practice before then.  I love being such a big boy.  I'm also helping out with little chores around the house like setting the table at dinner time with the dishes mommy gives me and putting my dirty dishes on the counter after meals.  One of my favorites is helping to unload the dishwasher; I get to put away the silverware and the pots/pans from the bottom cabinet, and the rest I grab out of the dishwasher and hand to mommy to put away up high.

Reading in the car

Verbal development:  I'm just beginning to be able to express myself a little better with comments like "I don't want to go to the gym.  There's too many kids there," or "No, Daddy; I don't like that."  Like most toddlers, sometimes I struggle to use my words when other kids are doing something I don't like or playing with a toy I want, but with practice I'll get better at that too.  I'm also learning lots of my letters and the sounds they make.  I can't draw them yet, but I like to find the A & S & H on the fridge to make my name, and I LOVE to have mommy & daddy write names on my papers or magnadoodle.

Me & my best friend Jack

Routines: Starting in the beginning of March, mommy finally got another nanny job.  She's working for a sweet Christian couple who have a son just a month younger than me.  Jack is a VERY talkative little guy with a laid back personality; sound like anyone you know?  Yeah, we get along great and I love him already.  He's with us M-F 8-4:30, so now we do all the stuff we used to do (MOPS childcare, gym 3x's a wk, etc), just with Jack in tow.  I love having a friend to play with!

Picnic at the park with Jack

Since the weather is starting to get nicer, we try to get to the park at least once or twice a week.  We drive all over town trying out new parks when time permits, and we have a couple favorites within a few minutes of our house that we stick to when time is short.  Also, we had a fun family Saturday at the park with the dogs, and mommy & daddy are thinking we should try to keep doing that every couple of weeks b/c it was so much fun and good exercise for the lazy pups.

"Driving" at the park

Special events: Of course the most special event the past few months was getting to see the baby at mommy's doctor visit and finding out that I'm going to have a little brother.  I'm still not completely clear on what all this baby talk means, but so far it's been fun to see mommy's belly get big and I'm not opposed to having a baby brother.

That aside, my favorite event in the past 3 months was probably Touch a Truck.  I still like to talk about the trucks I encountered there; it was so much fun!  And I also had fun going to the zoo with mommy during spring break, checking out the animals (I loved the primate house), and having my first ride on the carousel. We also took Jack to the zoo, and we spent a Saturday driving up to Denver to eat lunch with Jordan & Jason & Autumn at a Japanese restaurant and playing at their house.  Really, it's been a busy and fun few months.

Climbing into the trucks was tough, but I loved it!

Driving a big truck at Touch-A-Truck

My favorites: I've been loving the biggest twisty slide at the parks.  It's high and thrilling, but the way it twists I can control my speed, and they almost always have a longer flat part at the bottom so I can control my dismount as well.  Feeling in control is important to me, though I do occasionally opt to go down sideways or head first just to be crazy.

A trip to get sushi with mommy & daddy

Daddy's favorites: Daddy still loves our bedtime routine, as it's the most consistent time we have together.  Also, mommy's been busy on Tuesday nights for a couple months, so that's our night for bath/shower and Mighty Machines and bedtime stories, which is pretty special - though we're both happy she's done with that now and will be home with us on Tuesdays again.

Exercising with daddy

Mommy's favorites: Mommy loves watching me get gradually comfortable with things as they become more regular routines in my life.  It took a long time, but now I look forward to church instead of dreading it, even when mommy's not staying in there with me.  And while I still sometimes SAY I don't like the gym and complain on the way there, I always have fun there and talk happily about the things I did afterward.  These are huge steps for an introvert like me, and as an extrovert who feels lost in helping me deal with my issues in big group situations, mommy is relieved that I'm making progress with consistency.

Looking good, even when I'm just coloring at home

Also, mommy has been reading me Bible stories at nap-time from my Jesus Storybook Bible and is really enjoying the Story within the stories.  [Mommy note : I'm personally looking forward to Easter week.  I found this outline for what to read that week leading up to Good Friday & Easter and love it!]

Playing in my sandbox out back

And I think Mommy loves the zoo even more than I do, so she's enjoyed the trips we've taken to the zoo; we're definitely getting our money's worth out of our membership! :)

My first carousel ride

Upcoming: Mommy & daddy have been talking about letting me pick out a new toddler bed and a few new things for my room to make it a "big boy" room.  [Mommy note : don't tell him we're stealing his crib for the baby; we'll do his room this weekend and put off the baby room till much later so he won't correlate the two events at all]  If you know me, you can be pretty certain I'll choose the Disney Cars bed & accessories. :)

22 weeks - Baby #2

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 22 weeks

Size of Baby :  ~11" long & ~1 LB!

Total Weight Gain : ~ 9.5 lbs. (6+lbs less than last time)  Part of the reason I've been holding steady is b/c I missed the gym last week and probably lost some muscle weight, but I'm back to my regular schedule this week and though it adds to my exhaustion by the end of the day, it feels good to be back.  It's also nice to get compliments from instructors & regulars about how good I look; I'm all belly again, and that's a blessing.

Maternity Clothes :  100%

Best Moment This Week : The weather has been so gorgeous, I've been loving it!  We've been to the park twice and the zoo to take advantage of it.  LOVE IT!

Gender : It's a boy!  Still working on the name list.  Every time I look at names I end up adding more, so I'll have to finish that before we start narrowing I guess :)  One that's currently cracking me up is Blake.  I like the sound of it, plus it has opposite meanings that could be perfect.  It means fair/blonde OR dark.  Which is funny to me b/c that's the big question... which features is he going to take b/c we've got the whole range to choose from in our family.  Don't know whether Blake will make the final cut, but it's still making me giggle when I think about it.

Movement : He's getting bigger and stronger.  I'm feeling more and more kicks, some from the outside too.  He also occasionally stretches and pushes hard on one part of my belly, which kinda hurts.  And after a little bit of Dr. Pepper this weekend, I felt him doing full body flips; very bizarre sensation.  I had forgotten what it was like to have someone take over your body from the inside :)

Food Craving :  Sweets of course.  I'm drinking coffee again semi-regularly.  Decaf of course, but my reflux (as long as I remember to take my meds) seems to be handling it so far.

What I Miss Most : Energy.  It's been another exhausting week and I've been trying to get to bed earlier, but I'm still so tired.  And no luck napping when the kids "nap" (Ash hasn't actually been sleeping naps this week).  I'm interested to see what my blood test next week says about anemia; might start taking iron after Friday to see if that helps my energy levels at all.

Sleep : Sleep has been hit or miss this week.  I've been taking Benadryl for my congestion at night, which knocks me out but doesn't necessarily guarantee a full night of sleep.  Usually I wake up and stumble fuzzy headed to the bathroom when I take it.  Either way, I'm pretty tired this week. 

What I Am Looking Forward To : We are driving up to Denver tomorrow to have lunch and hang out with Jordan & Jason.  They've been living here since last summer, but we've only gotten together a small handful of times, so we've gotta squeeze in what we can before they move back home to FL this summer.

I'm also really looking forward to my appointment next Friday morning.  Hear a heartbeat, get measured, get my glucose and blood draw tests out of the way.  Should be an interesting exercise with toddlers in the double stroller! :)

Belly Button : same.

Symptoms : I've been so congested, and it doesn't seem to matter what I take/do.  I've been staying hydrated, taking Zyrtec and Rhinocort once daily plus Benadryl at night.  The Benadryl helps the most, the Zyrtec has been worthless.  I have a problem with swollen nasal passages anyway, and it's just infinitely worse on pregnancy hormones.

Otherwise it's the usual - exhaustion, reflux, insane hunger, limited stomach room, back aches, etc.  Nothing out of the ordinary, and nothing to really complain about.  Feeling pretty healthy other than tired and stuffy-nosed.

Compared to last time : Pretty much the same if you go back and look at my 22 wk post last time.  Tired, back aching sometimes, etc.  Reflux was worse, but I wasn't using meds to their full potential.

21 weeks - Baby #2

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 21 weeks

Size of Baby :  ~10.5" (head to toe) & ~12 oz

Total Weight Gain : ~9.5 lbs, more than 5 lbs less than with Ash and right on the low end of the weight gain chart - right where I want to be.  That's mostly b/c of my treats fast since I haven't been to the gym this week, but I'm happy to be seeing that nice slow gain I was aiming for.  Gaining for sure!  I keep having these achy-belly days and overnight growth spurts. 

Maternity Clothes :  I'm wearing over-the-belly pants, tho my belly STILL isn't the greatest at holding them up; I often tuck my undershirt in to give the belly band some resistance.  I also get a lot of mileage out of my one pair of under belly pants which are mostly only uncomfortable when I slouch or bend over. I've put away almost every pre-preg shirt I had still hanging in my closet. I also hit the local JBF sale this week and bought a few more summery maternity items for when I get huge - 2 pairs of shorts, a skirt, a dress, a shirt & a swimsuit top. All for about $20! Yay consignment. :)

Best Moment This Week : Saturday we had so much fun taking Ash and the pups to the park for some good active playtime. Josh and I both enjoyed it so much we've decided to try to do it every other weekend or so, weather permitting. 

Gender : It's a boy!  I've spent a lot of time over the past couple of weeks looking at ideas for baby names and nursery ideas. No decisions yet; I'm one of the world's worst decision makers when it's a little decision, so much worse when it's something I'll have to live with for years. I need to go spend a day looking at fabric stores for something to fall in love with too, but I'm in no big rush.

Movement : Movement is getting more regular, with his most predictable active time when I'm trying to fall sleep at night. He is still small enough to mostly just tickle, with occasional moves a little more forceful ... so far. 

Food Craving : Treats. Pregnancy may have been the best and WORST time to give up treats for Lent! I want sweets and junk so bad. A milkshake would be fabulous, or some ice cream. Or Starbucks. Or cookies. Or brownies.... You get the point. Afternoon is the hardest (I call it chocolate hour), but the rest of the day is pretty hard too. 

What I Miss Most : Energy and my old center of gravity. 

Sleep : I've been spoiled my whole life with a foam pillow for my head, so most pillows hurt my ears if I lay on them for a more than an hour or two. Most pillows includes my pregnancy pillow. I miss my foam pillow, but the snuggle nest is too cozy otherwise to give up yet. Also, Colorado has conspired against us and we've had some ridiculously windy nights where the wind woke us or kept us awake. And when Ash was sick I was extra sensitive to every little sound he made AND he was more likely to cry out. He seems to be crying out more often lately, but often falls back to sleep on his own; wish I could say the same for mommy who wakes up and struggles to fall back to sleep. Needless to say, this wasn't the best week for sleep. 

Also, I had a crazy delivery dream this week where we ended up finding out at a last minute ultrasound (while I was in labor) that he was a girl, not a boy after all. Hah! There was a lot more to the dream, but that part cracked me up.

What I Am Looking Forward To : Honestly, it's been a very hard week with Jack struggling to adjust back to us after spring break & moving into a new home over the break too. So I'm HOPING next week will be better; but with no guarantees, anticipation isn't really the word I'd pick for how I feel about it. And I'm looking forward to getting back to the gym, which I forewent this week for Jack's sake. I REALLY miss my workout and me time.

The most exciting things on my calendar this week are a movie date tomorrow (Captain America of course) and a phone date Monday w/ Chellie. 

Belly Button : same.

Symptoms : same. Plus a little hormonal and extra tired makes me pretty emotional by the end of this long week. 

Compared to last time : Like I said last week, I think I'm feeling more pregnant than before. I'm more achy and more exhausted than I remember being. I looked at Josh this week and whined "I'm only halfway!?!?"  Haha!  Looking back at my blog post from my first pregnancy, I feel like I've got the reflux more under control this time.  I think it's a combination of not gaining too much weight too quickly AND having dealt with it for 3 yrs and knowing how to juggle meds (higher dose than last time) and foods.