Baby #2: The First Ten Weeks!

This seemed like a fitting time to announce that we're expecting our second baby because a.) today is our first anniversary, and b.) I announced it with Ava right around this same point and started blogging!

In response to the questions I've gotten so far, I feel AWFUL. Simply wretched. With A, I had an easy-peasy pregnancy that I complained about just the same, but oh my Lord, I was not prepared for this when we decided it was time to add to the family. I am sick all day, all night, frequently waking up in the middle of the night sick. Everything puts me off, every smell makes me nauseated - I basically feel like I have the flu constantly. I was most worried about the exhaustion, given the hours I work and the amount of children I watch, but the exhaustion has nothing thus far on the nausea. Prescription Zofran, B6, ginger - you name it, we tried it. Nothing helped. Zofran didn't even touch the nausea, and gave me horrible headaches. The only thing that worked at all was unisom at night, since the active ingredient interferes with your body's reaction to nausea, but the fatigue was made much worse. Despite that, I'd take fatigue over all day sickness anytime!!!! Even the carpet powder I sometimes vacuum makes me sick (learned that one the hard way). The only thing I can consistently have is Pineapple-Orange-Banana juice. Hoping the citrus-y cravings mean it's another girl - I had the same love of that juice while pregnant with Ava, despite my general lack of sickness.

As for our due date, we're due 10/30 - another holiday baby - but since I'll have a repeat cesarean (VBACs are great for those interested in pursuing them, just don't count me amongst them...), he/she will likely be born 10/23. Whew. Once we hit the 37 week mark (in a long, lonnnnngggg time), it's the sooner, the better for me.

Ava is SO excited! David advised me we should keep it a secret for a while, but then he went to work the morning we found out, and I blabbed the second the door closed. I'm AWFUL at keeping my own secrets. How I've kept this from y'all for seven weeks is a mystery! Anyhow, I was just so excited that I had to tell her - and she's been talking about the baby ever since. She insists it is a baby sister (hopefully she has a sixth sense), and is already plotting to teach her to play tag and share her books with her. She's asked me about the baby weekly since we found out, and even sometimes shared that she feels nervous about having to share. We're trying to talk through her fears the best we can - having a sibling surely is a transition, but such a wonderful addition to the family and a friend for her for life, and we're focusing on those things and trying to prepare her to help.

Anyhow, we're so excited! Here's a couple comparison belly shots to document the big news:

The day we found out:

6 weeks:

9 weeks:

So far, not too much of a belly, though I feel gross and super bloated all the time. I feel like I've put on a trillion pounds, even though I've only put on one or two. Despite the all day sickness, I tend to snack on a lot of carbs to settle my stomach, so that is unfortunately keeping weight on :(

Even though this pregnancy has been challenging so far, we're so, so excited to be welcoming another baby into our hearts and family! Stay tuned for the big gender reveal May 17th - I can hardly wait!!! 

Maternity Photos.

I am SO excited for these! I took them last Sunday, Dec. 13th, at 37w1d. I was actually just out to see The Nutcracker and completely unprepared to take any photos, so keep in mind that I realize that my hair could've used a good dealing-with and my makeup desperately needed touching up. Still, my dear friend managed to work his magic with the camera, and I love them! Enjoy!







There are more, but these are the ones I love the most, particularly the last two. And besides, it's nearly 3AM, and sleep is probably what I need most right now. I thought that in going to bed at 10:30 I'd be assured at least five hours of sleep prior to my bout of 3:30 insomnia, but instead I was up at 12:30, so to avoid the frustration of tossing and turning and listening to D snore, I figured I'd try to be productive and post pics and fold laundry.

Doctor's appointment in five hours! Updates to come on if he schedules my induction or not. I had some crazy contractions in the past 24 hours along with a lot of pressure, so keeping my fingers crossed for progress!!!

Belly Shots: 36 Weeks! & Other News (SNOW!)

First things first, here's my belly as of five seconds ago :) It's all covered in burnt orange in anticipation of the Big 12 Championship game this evening vs. Nebraska. Hook 'em!





I'm seriously starting to wonder how much this kiddo weighs...

Now that we got that out of the way, here's some other big news...look what we woke up to:






Laugh all you want, Northerners, but I guarantee you there'll be an entire page in my scrapbook dedicated to us getting a bit of 'snow', and I'll be telling Baby B about it for years to come :P D, having a sense of humor that's similar to mine and being as shocked as I was that I had slept nearly eight straight hours only waking up once, took one look outside and said, "So I guess hell froze over?" I love that guy.

Now if I can just coax little (perhaps not so little?!) Baby B out, this day will be fantastic. Although if I had to choose between her coming this weekend, or Texas taking the Big 12 title and advancing to the National Championship, sorry Baby B but you're stuck in there until at least Monday! How fantastic would it be for Baby B to be born during a national championship year? What a great omen for our future longhorn, not to mention that she has longhorn EVERYTHING, so she'll be perfectly attired for the big game from her hat to her bib to her booties :)

Belly Shots: 34w4d & Other Significant News!

I'm a bit late with this one, but here it is:




I stole D's t-shirt while I did laundry and baked chocolate chip banana bread. He's not a big guy, as you can see by the way my belly is testing the limits of that fabric! :)

Other than that, what else is new? Hmm...not too much. I've been having some contractions here and there, but definitely nothing to write home (or in our case, call the hospital) about. They probably have a little something to do with the constant moving and shaking I've been doing, some of which is due to my insatiable desire to clean and bake bread...how domestic, right?

Ooh - I remember what I was going to say! I bought my breast pump today. How...exciting? Technically it's the modern equivalent of a torture chamber from what I've heard from some mommies, so I don't know if excited is the right word, but it's definitely a huge check off my dwindling to-do list. I got a Mi Pump double electric pump by The First Years after reading many reviews on the not-$300 pumps, and am really hoping it'll work out. The great news is I got it secondhand from a woman who wasn't able to breastfeed, so I got it for only $40. That's right - $40!!! I'm pretty impressed. Everything has been sterilized since I got home, and now we're home free :) I guess we just need a baby and my milk to come in! I was even able to set it up and get it to work (I didn't try it out obviously, but everything was running and making noise and moving as it should have!) without even opening the instruction manual...yay! I'm man-like in my impatience with written instructions :P

Now I'm just baking bread, doing laundry and watching DVR'd Private Practice until D gets home from work in an hour. Tomorrow his parents are coming into town since traveling didn't appeal to me this year, so I'll be up bright and early to roast my second turkey of the week and to get started on mashed potatoes, candied yams and green bean casserole. Hosting Thanksgiving makes me feel like such an adult! That, and the enormous baby in my belly perhaps.

Also crossed off my to-do list this week was squaring away paperwork, etc. for the baby's baptism. I was previously Mormon (I know - shocking, right? I've never been what you'd call a practicing Mormon though) and D is catholic and part Jewish (his words, not mine!), but little Baby B will be baptized at the Episcopal church I have found and currently attend after much research, both in literature and in practice/church visits. Confused yet? Anyhow, yesterday I met with my Rector about her baptism and filled out the paperwork. I'm not one to do the whole Sunday service baptism pomp and circumstance, and would want it to be strictly family and friends, so we'll be opting for a Saturday afternoon sometime before she's six weeks old. In other related news, I'll be getting baptized as well! I was baptized into the Mormon church when I was 8, as that is currently acknowledged as the age of reason (Ha! Clearly whomever decided that hadn't spent much time with eight-year-olds!), and while I was happy with my decision at the time, I am no longer a member of the church in either practice or spirit, and would like to be baptized in the same faith (and church) as my daughter. It gets a bit dicey with the Mormon religion anyhow, as since some of their tenants are so drastically different than the other Christian religions, not every church recognizes their baptism as a baptism into a Christian faith, and so that just kind of sealed the deal on my decision. The Rector said he could do both baptisms at the same time, but I would really prefer not to take away from her day by any means, so I'll be doing mine at some point prior to hers.

And in still more news, I just got off the phone with my insurance this second, and Baby B can be added to my policy for under $95 a month, with all her well-child check ups being 100% FREE. Sweet! Last night I was looking at child premiums, and they were in excess of $450 A MONTH for children under 2, I KID YOU NOT. That's apparently just if I was uninsured and needed an individual policy for her. Insane! So that's great news cause I freaked out a bit for a minute there :)

Happy Thanksgiving all!!!!!!!!!

Belly Shots: 32w2d!!

Wow, I am a hippo :/ With what is officially an outie :(

I hope the next seven weeks fly by!!!!!!!!!

Friday Morning Pics.

Holy 30-week belly! I know I'm not 'big' for how far along I am, but compared to my first pics, I feel huge. Check out the difference:

10 weeks -

30 weeks -
Also, forgot to include pics of my recently re-highlighted hair...a VAST improvement :)

Hopefully this Friday will just fly by for us all! I was asked to work 13 hours, and instead of saying a justified, "Oh helllllllllllll no, I'm 30 weeks pregnant! Are you crazy?!", I'm a pushover and said, "Sure, no problem, of course I can take the kids to the carnival by myself after a long day at 30 weeks pregnant!" Damn it.

Belly Shots: 28w2d!!

Here I am, two days into my third trimester :) Making progress....

Belly Shots: 26w2d!

I almost forgot this week!
I'm happy (?) to report there doesn't look to be too much change from 24 weeks, or even 22 weeks really...yay me! Baby B is growing, though, rest assured. She can make my whole belly move now! I'm just trying to keep on top of my pregnancy weight gain. As of this morning, I've hit 15lbs! Wah wah. From what I've heard from other new moms that started out underweight-to-average-weight, that's not bad at all, though. Even if I do put on the 1lb/week for the remainder, which I've managed to stay at or under so far, I'll still be under 30, which was my doctor's goal for me.

See you (or rather, you'll see ME) again at 28 weeks!

24 Weeks: Belly Shots!

Not too much different than the last one :)

Belly Shots: 22 Weeks!

Ok, so now that I'm really starting to show, I figured I would do belly shots every two weeks so that you can see an actual difference, not the results of too much dinner the night before :)

Not quite sure my comfort level with the bare belly shots (ironic, seeing as how I still wear a bikini!), so not sure if they'll be bare belly in the future, but here's one for those inquiring minds!

20 Weeks: Belly Shots!

Ok, Ok, you asked for it, you got it :)

I think this may be the last shot in my regular clothes...at least I made it halfway?!

Belly Shots: 18w2d

Note that I can still wear my normal, pre-pregnancy shorts (but not pants). Not sure how much longer on that by the looks of things, but I made it 18 1/2 weeks, OK?!? I'm realllllllly hanging onto the hope that if I could wear my normal clothes into my fifth month of pregnancy, I'll be able to wear them again come March, at the latest, please God. Since you know, shorts season starts in about February here!

I'm a Pregnant Supermodel! Wait, huh?!

For whatever reason, I thought it would be fun to see what celebrities are pregnant and due around the same time as me. Why is this fun, you ask?! When you see this list, you'll know it wasn't. Here's the list:

*Heidi Klum - due in October
*Adriana Lima - due in December
*Camilla Alves - due in late December/early January
*Giselle Bundchen - due in late December
*Karolina Kurkova - due in December
*Kendra Wilkinson - due in December, days from me

Hmm...I'm sure you noticed the same thing I did: They're all supermodels, except for one former playboy bunny!!! That's not entirely fair, now, is it?! Especially when you consider that for most of my friends, this is the first pregnant friend they've had, and I'm being compared to images of pregnant supermodels?! WTF!

On the upside, here are recent pictures of these women, in which they ALL look bigger than I do. MUAHHHAHAHA!

Belly Shots: 17w2d

Note the clean mirror ;)

16w2d Belly Shot!

I must be a masochist to continue to post belly shots...though note the absence of any stretch marks. It seems that the bloated belly of 14w2d has vanished, to be replaced by the actual baby bump of 16w2d. Forgive the toothpaste on my mirror - it's the only drawback of the Sonicare :)

(Ed. Note: Yoga pants are not doing anything forgiving for my hiney in this picture, but I swear it's not actually that size on a regular basis!)

The Incredible Shrinking Belly?

In the past several days, I've been noticing that my belly seems to be getting smaller, as opposed to bigger. Here we are this morning (15 1/2 wks):

Clearly there is something there, but this is about where I was at 11 1/2 weeks...should I be worried about this? Or just grateful? These are my size 4 pre-baby shorts and a size small shirt...it seems even smaller in person (the belly, not the clothes..) Hmm...

As Promised...

..just two days late :) Oops!

14w2d belly shot:

In my yoga clothes this AM:
Lord, I'm huge.

Oh yeah, and...

...the 12-wk belly shot! It's really coming along, despite my lack of actual weight gain. Baby is about the size of a lime, so it's more swelling/bloating/my uterus getting bigger:

The last 10 weeks!

The last SIX weeks might be a more appropriate title, since six weeks ago tomorrow, I received the biggest news of my life: I'm pregnant.

Was I initially headed to my laptop to spread the good news and start this blog? Eh, more like I was initially terrified, uncertain and did I mention completely scared shitless?! But I knew in my heart to trust my heart, which told me that I should be excited, and to embrace this for the wonderful news it really is! After many a late-night conversation, trip to the doctor's office (and one to the E.R. when I had the flu!), and my rabid collecting of baby books, pamphlets and advice, both welcome and unwelcome, I have arrived here today at the ten week mark as happy and excited as I have ever been! Holy crap, folks! With a little luck and a lot of prayer in the next few weeks, I'm having a baby!

Landmarks so far:

We first heard the heartbeat at 6 weeks, 4 days, at a strong and healthy 120 bpm. I was so shocked and emotional that his or her heart was actually beating, I forgot to ask for a picture of the ultrasound, but luckily I got this one at my next visit, at 8w1d:

His or her heartbeat was 161 at the second visit. Girl? One can hope!

This was my tummy at 10w1d. It doesn't look like much, but it was significantly more fit before, I promise!

As far as the first ten weeks have gone, I have had a couple evenings where I threw up so vigorously I was certain I had food poisoning of some sort, but then instantly felt better and went about the rest of my night....fun, I assure you. Other than that, I'm nauseous from time to time, and definitely gag often, especially at the sight of red meat or anything uncooked. Even the word 'uncooked' is enough to make me retch. I've also begun sleeping constantly, clocking in at least two hour naps everyday, which if you know me, you know is my idea of heaven! I loved a good nap prior to this, but now, with an excuse, ohhhhhh yeaaaaaaaah. Luckily, as a nanny to a two-year-old, I have time to nap when she does. Perfection!

As far as my due date goes, I'm due on 1/4/10, though we're already planning for a 12/30 (ish) induction because frankly, I can't meet my deductible and out-of-pocket max for this year AND next...and what's five days?! Not to mention, I'm a pretty small person (at least I am right NOW), and the women in my family tend to have big babies. Giving birth to an 8-pounder vs. a 10-pounder?! YES PLEASE.

That's all for now, folks! I have my next ultrasound at 12w1d on 6/23, and will post a few updates between now and then! Hoping to have a more significant bump in a few weeks!