And…we’re back

I have a lot of catching up to do…clearly.  Summers are always busy for us, but add in exhaustion from pregnancy, potty training and baby-prep left me with zero time to blog.  But, I’m back and planning to pick it up more regularly, especially since we’ll have a sweet little baby to show off soon enough!

First update will be a pregnancy update, then I’m going to post on some of our summertime adventures as well as a Brody update.  He is of course the whole reason I started this blog!

29-37 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Only up about 26 lbs (actually lost weight in between 36-37 weeks), while I’m excited about the slower weight gain, I know I started with a little extra cushion this time, so it will still be work to get back in shape afterwards.

Maternity clothes: Thank goodness for our summer dress-code.  A perk of being at a satellite location for work is that they allowed us to wear jeans all summer. I took full advantage of the less-dressy atmosphere.  Now that Labor Day is over, I am back to dresses and dress pants. 

Sleep: No longer sleeping through the night, but even worse, I wake up and can’t fall back asleep.  This makes for several exhausting nights a week and I’m not the smartest at work anymore, but the end is almost near.

Best moment this week: Even though the second pregnancy has proven to be more difficult, the best thing about it is watching how excited Brody is about his little brother.  He loves to play in the nursery, reading about having a new baby and just yesterday practicing holding his doll with the boppy pillow.  He constantly gives Aedan hugs & kisses through my belly.  It’s the sweetest thing in the world.

Food cravings: I’ve come full-circle and am back to food aversions.  I’ve even gone as far to make myself a separate dinner because I can’t imagine eating what Jay & Brody are eating, even though they’re typical meals in our house.

Labor Signs: Nothing yet.  Random contractions, but nothing worth thinking about.  I imagine he’ll take his sweet time like his big brother.

What I miss: Regular clothes, picking up Brody without paying for it later (same goes for sitting on the floor with him).  Wine.  Oh how I miss wine…

What I am looking forward to: Brody being a big brother. And 4 weeks of maternity leave with just me and a baby. 

Milestones: Well, I’m term, which means he can come “any day now” (don’t hold your breath!).  Other awesome milestones I hit in the last 2 months: swollen ankles (even Jason noticed), stopped wearing my wedding rings (sad!!), Aedan turned head-down and seems to be staying there and I may have dropped – but the jury is still out on that one.

Differences between 1&2: Every pregnancy is different, which has been very true for me.  I believe that some symptoms are different because of the time of year (heat of summer causing some of the swelling) and some are just different.  The good news is that even though this pregnancy has come with a lot more aches and pains, Aedan appears to be just as healthy as his big brother.  And that’s all I can ask for.

Then I’ll leave you with a few pictures of my growing belly…

Almost 37weeks

35 weeks

34 weeks

18 Weeks

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: ~2lbs I actually haven’t weighed myself yet this week though…
Maternity clothes? Great sale online this week, anxiously waiting for my clothes to arrive and heading to shop for more this weekend.  Also hoping it will warm up soon!
Sleep: Noticing sciatic pain at night, but luckily not enough to keep me from sleeping.  I’m still constantly exhausted.
Best moment this week: Sharing the big news with the world…and sharing it will one of my besties last weekend.  (Yes, I use the word bestie)
Food cravings: Nothing major.  Though the Toppersstix I had this week were amazing.
Gender: Another baby boy!!  I couldn’t be more thrilled.  Brody has so much to teach his little brother and I know he’s going to love having another boy around to play with.  And clearly, we make amazing little boys, so I can’t wait to have a second one. 
Labor Signs: Surprisingly I’ve noticed braxton hicks contractions already.  Though, I never knew what they felt like last time, so I probably had them, but now that I know what it is, I’ve definitely noticed them. 
What I miss: My energy.  Could somebody send some extra energy my way?  Please?
What I am looking forward to: Nursery decorating, plus digging out all Brody’s baby clothes.  He had so many adorable outfits that he barely wore.  I can’t wait to use them again!  Then once I do that, I can see how much more I can buy without Jason yelling at me. 
Milestones: Since I didn’t put it last week, the biggest milestone over the last two weeks was definitely the “It’s a BOY!” moment. 
Differences between 1 & 2: Now that we know it’s a boy and pretty much have settled on a name (to be shared shortly…), it’s been so much fun talking to Brody about the baby.  He routinely gives his little brother hugs and kisses and talks to me about him.  It’s obviously a very abstract concept for him, and he knows that his brother is “very little” and is going to be “sleeping” a little while longer before he can see him.  But I hope talking about him over and over will help Brody prepare more once the baby is here.

Pregnancy #2 is going to be very different

And History Repeats Itself

January 10, 2012
How we found out #2 was on the way:

A little background:
When we decided to have Brody, it only took us 2 months to conceive. So of course I had really high expectations with this one and was trying very hard to not to get my hopes up. However, after one month of trying, I of course was a little sad when we weren’t successful.

The second month we were trying I realized how selfishly I wanted this to be the month. I’ll list them out later, but there are a ton of reasons a Sept baby would be awesome for us. So of course I started getting my hopes up.

Knowing I could be in for the long run, I bought a pack of home pregnancy tests online for super cheap. My theory was that since they were so cheap, it wouldn’t be a problem if I tested multiple times.

The days leading up:
About 5 days before my period, I took a test. I didn’t even tell Jason because I was pretty sure it would be negative. However, we were going out with friends that night and I figured that if I knew for sure, it would be great.

Of course it was negative. I was still dissapointed and did end up telling Jason later that it was negative. The test strips were supposed to be very sensitive, so I was feeling pretty confident that this probably wasn’t the month. Just in case though, I only had a little over 1 glass of wine. (In retrospect, I wonder if I should have abstained completely…oh well)

And here we go again:
2 days before my period I had a dream that I took a test and it was positive. Crazy right?? I woke up after the dream to cramps. It felt like my period was on it’s way. Again, dissapointment.

However, I found out we were pregnant with Brody on the same cycle day, so I tested anyway.

First test: very very faint pink line that showed up after the full 5 minute testing time. (Me: This can’t be right??)

Second test: Immediately took another one (remember these were cheap!). Faint, but a little more clear. But…a line is a line…right????

Showed them to Jason but we were cautiously excited. Tossed them in the garbage. Went to work – googled – said a line is a line no matter how faint. Now I was really getting excited.

Picked up a digital test on my way home that night….Took it and yep – Pregnant!!!
I handed Brody the test (with the plastic cover over it) and told him to take it to Daddy. What does he do? He takes the cover off of the part that has my pee on it and starts to rub it on his arm. He then sticks it in his hair next. (This kid is crazy).

Meanwhile, I’m quickly trying to grab it away from him! Jason has no idea what is going on, so I just put the cover back on, throw the test at him and went to wash Brody up.

Then it finally clicks what he’s looking at and he gets very excited.

Same amount of cycles, postive test on the same day…sometimes it’s good when history repeats itself!

30 Weeks

“Baby’s now the size of a squash! As baby’s skin smoothes out, his brain just keeps getting more wrinkled. All those grooves and indentations increase surface area, meaning more room for that oh-so-essential brain tissue. He’s also adding some brawn — his grip is now strong enough to grasp a finger.” Thebump.com

Weekly Checklist
How far along? 30 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 23lbs (I’m down a pound thanks to my soup & bread diet this week)
Maternity Clothes: Yep
Sleep: Constantly…but I think it’s more related to being sick this week than the baby.
Food Cravings: Cheesecake & a spicy buffalo chicken sandwich. So J & I made plans to go to the Cheesecake Factory this weekend. Then my stomach started acting up — so I think i’ll have to wait until I’m eating solid foods before I attempt that meal!
What I miss: nothing in particular this week

What I am looking forward to: Hanging out with Brody. I realized Thursday night when Jason was at bowling that in a couple of months I won’t have very many nights at home by myself anymore. I’m looking forward to it! (Remind me of this in about a year when I’m complaining about my lack of alone time)

Weekly wisdom: If you don’t really want to know if your butt has gotten bigger during pregnancy, don’t put on a pair of pre-pregnancy pants!! I didn’t have any dress pants to wear to church on Sunday, so I figured I would just pull out a pair of pants that were slightly big before getting pregnant and use my bella-band to hold them up. Then I discovered they were a lot more tight on my butt/hips than before. Not a confidence booster!

Milestones: Braxton-hicks contractions. Really I just figured out what they were this week. They don’t hurt and many women don’t feel them. Supposedly some women can actually start having braxton-hicks as early as 6 weeks! I looked up the description & realized I had been experiencing them randomly, I just didn’t know what it was.

29 Week Bump Pic

Yes, we’re baby-gating the house already! Actually it should really be called our naughty puppy gate.

28 Weeks

*Since my “weekly fruits” have turned into monthly ones, I’ll just include my bump picture until I enter a new month. Baby is still the size of an eggplant (or a boot).

“Baby’s now the size of an eggplant! Baby’s lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, he has a pretty good chance of surviving (with help from medical technology). His skin is still pretty wrinkly (one byproduct of living in amniotic fluid) but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit.” -Thebump.com

Weekly Checklist
How far along? 28 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 22lbs
Maternity Clothes: Yep and now that it is getting cold out I can wear some non-maternity items (like cardigans/hoodies) as long as I don’t close the front.
Sleep: Starting to get more uncomfortable (despite all my pillows). But I’m still tired, so I need the sleep!
Food Cravings: I think it’s seasonal as well as pregnancy, but I’ve felt the need to bake a little more. However, that generally means desserts…so hopefully my weight gain won’t start to skyrocket! 🙂
What I miss: Being able to spring up from a laying down position. I’ve officially started rolling out of bed or using a lot of energy to get up from lying on the couch.
What I am looking forward to: Holding Brody and seeing what he looks like.
Weekly wisdom: No matter how annoying pregnancy can be at times it will all be worth it when our son is here.
Milestones: Jason “saw” him kick this week! He’s getting stronger and many times my whole stomach will move when he’s active. J could see him kicking from across the room & thought it was hilarious.

27 Week Bump Pic

Baby Bump!

13 Week picture. I thought I actually had something to show! I knew it was mostly bloating since the baby was so tiny, but now looking back it just looks normal. 🙂

Fast forward to 25 weeks. There’s a baby in there! I’m starting to feel big, but I know in 12 weeks I’m going to be looking back again wishing I was this small. 🙂

The wall in the background is in the nursery while we were choosing colors.