Coming Soon!

Baby W #2 is headed our way!



Week 20 | Halfway there!

How far along:

20 weeks

Best moments so far:

We had our 20 week ultrasound this week and got to have a 2nd peek at baby! Our first peek was back in late January, when my Doctor ordered an ultrasound to firmly establish dates and rule out multiples...Thankfully, we had no surprises! 

Speaking of surprises, we told our family about Baby in late January. I got C a shirt that says Big Brother on it, and we just waited to see how long it took everyone to figure things out. Prize goes to Grandma S for noticing immediately, while it took Grandma J almost 30 minutes to notice!

This week, we learned that everything is progressing normally, and we can all breathe a little more easily. Baby currently weighs in at .78 pounds and is right on target for gestational age. T & I did find out baby's gender, but have not decided yet if we will share this time around, or wait until baby's arrival in July for everyone to be surprised like we did with C. I was dreaming of a gender reveal party with a beautiful white-frosted cake colored pink or blue, but T asked the tech almost immediately what baby's gender was, so that dream went flying out the window! #FAIL Maybe we'll still have a little party for our family so at least someone can have the fun of experiencing a gender reveal!

Maternity clothes:

The 'bump' made an appearance sooner this pregnancy since my abdominal muscles have been stretched this way before...my pregnancy book refers to this as the 'warmed-up-effect'. Blah. Most of my jeans and regular leggings became uncomfortable (particularly when sitting down) around 11 weeks, so I busted out the maternity leggings and a pair of skinny black maternity jeans, and haven't looked back since. I'm still able to wear most of my tops...three cheers for drapey sweater season!

Sleep: 

Not great. I'll be honest, during my first trimester, our mattress was begging to be replaced...which we finally bit the bullet and did...but now, my overall sleep still isn't great, at least in the mornings. Maybe it's due to baby sitting on my bladder, or maybe it's nature's way of adjusting my sleep schedule for the lack of sleep ahead, but it seems that with each passing week, I wake up earlier and earlier. Blah.

Miss Anything:

Sushi...but let's be honest...I miss this even when I'm not pregnant since we live about three hours from the nearest sushi restaurant. It's also a bummer when our quarterly wine box arrives and I have to sign for a whole case of delicious wines that I won't be able to enjoy for many months to come.

Baby Movement:

Yep! I started to feel baby around 15 weeks, and was able to feel baby kicking on the outside at 16 weeks. Nothing too consistent yet, and T hasn't had the pleasure, but in the coming weeks, I expect the kicking to be more noticeable on a regular basis.

Cravings:

Sweets...but that could just be a by-product of the recent holiday season. Other than that, anything someone else wants to cook for me! Looking forward to spring and summer to have an expanded group of restaurants to visit in our 'everything comes to a halt between Labor Day and Memorial Day' neck of the woods.

Aversions:

During my first trimester, the smell of coffee pretty much gave me instant morning sickness. A real bummer since T made it every morning before leaving for work, and tends to drink it by the potful on his days off. I do continue to allow myself the indulgence of one cup mixed with milk on most mornings, as the taste doesn't have the same effect as the smell. After 13 weeks, the smell of coffee hasn't really been bothering me at all which is great news!

Queasy or sick:

Most days starting from around four weeks thru about 13 weeks exactly, I experienced some level of morning sickness. It was never to the point that I couldn't hold down my lunch so to speak, but that queasy feeling got to be pretty extreme. I'm convinced it has been much worse this pregnancy than it was with C, but it could also just be that I now have an active and growing toddler who doesn't slow down just because I don't feel so great. Since 13 weeks, I've pretty much been back to normal on the queasy front. 

Symptoms: 

I've been very fatigued so far this pregnancy, and have had several days where it was hard to keep up with C's level of enthusiasm for life. I'll be honest, there have been some nights that T doesn't walk in the door until 7:30pm, and I can't keep my eyes open past 8pm. In other weird symptoms I've experienced, around 10 weeks, I had a heat rash appear on the tops of my hands. I thought it was a pretty odd symptom to have in the middle of winter when the temps outside were rarely over 30 degrees, but apparently it's a thing. Since then, I've also been dealing with awesome things like shortness of breath, skin breakouts from all the crazy hormones, and more headaches than normal. Joy. 

Looking forward to:

Warm weather! The temperature is finally starting to shift in the upward direction, and C and I have been loving every chance we've had to get outside for some fresh air and sunshine. Next week, we are taking to the skies to visit the sunshine state, and can't wait to relax (as much as one can with a toddler by the pool and ocean) and soak up the sun.

13 Week Ultrasound Pics:

20 Week Ultrasound Pics:

It's fun to see a couple of different ultrasound dates to see how baby is growing! Hard to believe that at 13 weeks, baby looked like...well, a baby, and not just a blob! To give you some perspective, at 13 weeks, baby was only about 3 inches long and weighed approximately 1 ounce! Such an amazing little miracle!

'Every good and perfect gift comes from above.'

JAMES 1:17