18 Weeks and Kicking!

Photo courtesy of alancleaver

Hubby felt the baby for the first time last night! I've been feeling him/her for awhile now, and he/she is particularly active! I'm thinking baby ninja is a pretty appropriate nickname. It was really fun for hubby to feel the baby, but I must admit, it wasn't nearly as exciting as the first time he felt our first baby kick. I remember the exact moment and the look of awe on both of our faces. It was such a special moment. This time was special too, but I found myself deliberately recording place, time, feelings, etc. in my memory because I was concerned it was so inconsequential that it'd soon be an undistinguishable blip on our memory. Thankfully it wasn't just one kick, so baby ninja was working really hard to make sure we remembered that moment. :)

Baby ninja's the size of a bell pepper this week. And, appropriately enough, the email told me he/she is working on flexing arms and legs--I can definitely confirm that!

Reality is starting to knock a little louder these days. It helps that my belly's already the size of a basketball, so I have a definite reminder that this baby is a part of our lives--my hubby even noted the time when we hugged and my belly hit him before my arms--that's when you know you're showing :) It's also more real because everyone else can tell that I'm pregnant, so strangers are starting to ask questions and confirm their suspicions. I'm kinda glad for this--it means playing the pregnancy card will be a lot easier, and people will get me some extra grace without having to be told I'm pregnant. I've gotta admit, I kinda like that.

I've decided that I'm definitely okay with sharing my office with the nursery for the first couple of years. Plus, I finally bought a laptop that turns on in less than ten minutes (yes, that's how old my other laptop is!), so my "office" is becoming less and less of a factor as I try new comfy spots throughout my home to do my work. Although, it doesn't really feel like work when I'm lounging on the couch, munching on Girl Scout cookies (samoas, of course!), and typing on my new "toy" the laptop.

I've had a really hard time buying clothes. Since I don't know what to expect, I feel like I can't buy anything. Veteran moms, help me out here, if you didn't find out the sex of your baby, what exactly did you buy before baby arrived--clothes-wise.

Thanks for all your insight. I get so excited to post a new blog so I can see all the insight and knowledge moms are willing to share to help me along! Ladies, you're the best!

17 Weeks Prego

Ahhh, transitions. I've been thinking about them a lot lately. It's funny how most transitions seem unreasonable therefore we dread dealing with them; but they inevitably turn out to be easier than we imagined, and the results are something we swear we would now never live without. This dialogue parallels nicely with my new morning ritual of planting seeds and preparing my yard for the summer. I find that my little girl is not quite old enough to be excited about the new seeds sprouting through the soil; yet I'm more-than-ever-before impatient to see those little buds break through. You'd think I was the two year old here!

As a mom I'm thinking this in particular in regards to changing nap times, changing food preferences, getting rid of the paci, potty training, changing to a toddler bed, even experiencing a newborn transition from crawling to walking. I dread/have dreaded all of these changes, but without fail I've come out with a greater appreciation for the new and an unexpected willingness to let go of the old.

That said, I have three big transitions that I want to glide through before baby #2 arrives: potty training, eliminating the paci, and changing to a toddler bed. Again, moms, I implore you to offer your advice. My questions, in no particular order, are:

1. Did you follow a method/book for potty training? Did it work?

2. Which order would you do these three in? (My daughter is almost two. She's shown all the signs of being ready to potty train.) For example, a friend suggested I potty train, then get rid of the paci, and finally transition to a big girl bed. Your thoughts?

3. If I have to give up one (which would be really hard for me to accept because of my type-A-ness that screams, "If it's on the to-do list to finish before baby #2, it better be done!"), which would you recommend?

So far I've read On Becoming Pottywise. Next on my list is Potty Training in a Day which I believe is going to be very similar. Any other titles I should peruse before taking on the challenge? I must admit, with every book I read, I find myself skimming the parts of the book I know I don't agree with. I doubt there's a parenting book out there that I'd follow 100 percent, but I think it's important to do your research, glean the good stuff, and let your mother's intuition guide you.

As for baby turnip, he/she is moving A LOT. I try to get my hubby to feel it, but while the kicks are prominent in my mind, they're not quite strong enough to be felt through the layer of leftover baby fat courtesy of baby #1. I feel the same as week 16--creeping nausea; but I've decided to ignore it and continue life as if not prego. This has translated to hours of yard work followed by even longer hours of sitting, catching my breath, and self-deprecating inner dialogue for being such a woos.

On a completely unrelated note, garage sale season is upon us! I've already got my list of baby "must-haves" that I avoided the first pregnancy, wished I had, but never got the courage to drop the money and go ahead and buy. The answer: buy it all used for baby #2! I'm looking for a Bumbo, Boppy, bouncy seat, and monitor primarily. A co-sleeper in good condition would be great too. I'll probably go with new, but I need an infant carrier, crib & mattress, and double stroller as well. If you see any good leads on Craigslist, let me know! :)

15 Weeks Prego & Nursery Ideas!

Photo courtesy of formatbrain

**A bonus post for this week. I'm getting anxious to get you guys caught up because the more posts I write, the more questions I have; and I'm excited to hear your feedback!**

Call me superstitious, but it's really hard for me to type this (as if it's somehow going to jinx my progress), but I do believe the nausea is over! YAY! WOO! PARTY! I'm on day five of no nausea, and oh baby, I'm so excited! But, there has been a little dark rain cloud following me around since day two of nausea-free heaven--a sore throat and runny nose. Turns out the runny nose is typical with prego women; there's even a name for it: rhinitis of pregnancy. I refuse to believe that this is going to be "the norm" for me; I'm just amused that they picked such a funny-sounding word to categorize it.

I went in for my checkup earlier this week. My midwife said she doubts that I've actually felt the baby before now. Sigh. Now I'm doubting my abilities to feel the baby; but legit or not, he/she's still precious and I'll be feeling plenty soon enough!

On the whole gender issue: since we're not finding out, I've been trying to figure out my mental game plan in preparing for the birth. Should I . . .

A) Not think about it at all?

B) Trust my intuition and plan on whatever "I'm sure I'm having"?

C) Scour Chinese calendars, heart rate charts, and everyone else's gender stories (a friend recently told me that since my appetite is so much bigger than my first, she thinks I'm having a boy) to try and figure it out? (For the record, according to these theories, I'm having a boy, girl, boy respectively :) Maybe I should get out a key, tie my ring to a string, and examine my protruding belly too. Majority wins, right?

D) Plan on a girl? Get super excited about a girl. Then, no matter what the outcome, I'll be super geeked and ready to jump in with two kiddos.

Veteran moms, what say you?

I'm also taking suggestions for baby nicknames. The rules: It's gotta be gender neutral, not too cutesy (that's just not my style), and unique. Easy, right? So far we've called our baby "our little lemon" (because the last email said it was the size of a lemon" but this week we've already graduated to an apple, and I've used baby ninja (since I thought I already felt it move).

Now that the nausea has passed, it's time to start planning and thinking about this baby. But, it's not just about baby number two, it's also about making a smooth transition for baby number one. What can I do to make her feel special and not neglected? How can I prepare her for the changes? How can I make our time alone as special as possible? How will I budget for a family of four? Etc. Again, any input is welcome!

Lastly, a quick list of differences between this pregnancy and last (in case it turns out to be a boy, I want to be able to look back and see if there were any indicators I could tag). Nausea was definitely worse this time around--especially the throwing up. My appetite is much bigger this time--and second trimester is worse than first. Not only do I have to eat every couple of hours, I have the appetite for it, and I find myself able to consume more food than usual. I also find that if I don't consume a decent amount of food, I get hungry again really quickly. I'm definitely showing a lot faster, but from all that I've read, that's completely normal. That's all I can think of for now.

I've started a bookmark folder in my browser for nursery and baby ideas. What do you think of this giraffe print (pictured above) as the theme? I love the colors, the use of trees, and, of course, the giraffes!

Oh, and for a quick read, one woman's thoughts on using her pregnancy as a motivator to become more healthy. This is very similar to my experience during my first pregnancy.

14 Weeks Prego

My babycenter email just congratulated me on entering my second trimester. Then it went on to say, "Your energy is likely returning . . . and your queasiness may have completely abated by now." Yeah, right! I wish.

I must admit, this past week I had the best "good day" of the first tri. I even cooked dinner! But it was followed with four rocky, bad days. This week is also spring break--which wouldn't seem like it would affect me since my child is far from school age, but it has made this week the busiest we've had in awhile.

Despite playgroup and gymnastics being cancelled, we've had a lunch date almost every day this week. It's been wonderful, but it's also opened my eyes to some things: A) "Good days" inevitably follow a day (or two) that I have spent most of my time on the couch or in bed. B) Bad days tend to follow days that I keep busy and try to keep my mind off the nausea. C) Perhaps my busyness this week has prolonged the nausea; therefore, I just need to take a day off and the "good days" will return. It's a vicious cycle--stay busy to keep mind off nausea and to provide daughter with entertaining days--pay for it with nausea all the time. OR Take it easy and rest all day--pay for it with a daughter who's bored of playing with her alphabet puzzle again.

Good thing my little one doesn't use full sentences yet, or I'm pretty sure she'd say stuff like, "No, mama, not another nap. Can't you get off the couch and play with me?"

Hmm, there's my Type-A Voice speaking up again. Must put that thing to rest. I am manufacturing a human here. I deserve a break. Geesh! (and the inner dialogue/argument goes on).

I went in for a check-up this week. My midwife said that even though I'll show sooner than my first pregnancy, I probably won't feel the baby sooner. I'm convinced I've already felt him/her move, but the reality of my 2.5 inch little lemon really being able to show off its ninja skills is pretty unlikely.

Another fun note . . . my hubby's getting closer and closer to making the decision to not find out the gender of the baby. I'm super excited! My midwife did a little happy dance when I told her. It made me smile.

BUT it has made planning a bit more difficult. I'm finding that I'm really indecisive not knowing the gender. I find this ironic because when I found out that my first was going to be a girl, I immediately made every effort to buy things that were gender neutral so they could be recycled with all babies that followed. Now that I don't know the gender, I find that I want to pick gender-specific decor, clothes, etc. I blame the hormones. (I've been blaming the hormones for a lot lately--defense mechanism? Probably.)

For those of you who didn't find out the sex of your baby ahead of time, what did you find were the pros/cons? Any suggestions on planning the nursery?

*Photo courtesy of KitAy

13 Weeks Prego

My 13-week "My Pregnancy This Week" email excited and amazed me. In just one week my baby has . . .

"Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head -- which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce."

Wow! Fingerprints! 2 million eggs (IF it's a girl). 3 inches long! I'm not sure how many of you have received similar growth emails, but the size comparisons to fruits and vegetables at the end always crack me up. The first email I ever received about my first baby said she was the size of a kumquat. I have no idea what a kumquat even looks like! This week's "medium shrimp" leaves a lot lacking in the imagery department. It's just not as cute to picture my baby hanging off the side of a martini glass filled with cocktail sauce.

Confession: This past week I went with my daughter to a free Mommy and Me gymnastics class. A fellow ORU alum who remembers me (but I barely remember her) introduced herself and made small talk with me. As we talked kids (she has at least three, I forget exactly how many), I mentioned my nausea. She said, "I was always sick with my girls, but I never got sick when I had boys. That's how I knew that she (pointing to her youngest) was a girl because I got sick."

Here's the confession part: My heart sank when I heard her say this. Up until now I've been convinced that I was completely fine with a boy or a girl (Girl=sister for my eldest to grow up with; Boy=boy--who doesn't want a boy to carry on the family name?!). But when my heart sank a little, I realized, "Yikes, I want a boy more than I thought." That was big for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm still completely excited about a girl, too, I just didn't realize my heart was hiding this little longing from me.

I know, "every pregnancy is different." I have tons of friends who had COMPLETELY different pregnancies yet same sex babies. And I know people who had similar pregnancies yet different sex babies. There's no guarantee one way or the other. I just thought it was important to note my heart's desires before facing reality one way or the other. (On a side note, my husband's leaning more and more toward the idea of not finding out! I'm super excited. As one of my commenters pointed out, some say not knowing the gender makes the labor easier. I doubt there's scientific evidence for that, but I can totally see the psychological incentive that would add!)

As far as morning (all-day) sickness goes . . . I've again moved a notch in the right direction. Now I can officially say that my good days outnumber my bad. Unfortunately, there are still those bad days, but overall, I'm starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. Soon, very soon, my house will be clean again, my pots, pans and cutting boards will be put back to use, and my daughter will be able to enjoy craft and play time with mama again! Oh, and my backyard better watch out--I plan to do everything in my power to make it a green wonderland for the summer!

Finally, it's quite the baby boom in my FB life. Friends near and far are announcing pregnancies with similar due dates. I'm so excited! I love baby booms! Are you, dear readers, expecting as well? Please share with all of us!

16 Weeks Prego

Sixteen weeks, and my baby has graduated to the size of an avocado. Seeing as how he/she is half-Mexican, I figure that's pretty appropriate. Maybe I should nickname my baby something with a Mexican/Japanese mix. Guaco-roboto or Sushi-salsa. Hmm, maybe Senor Sashimi!

Okay, moving on. This week has been a bit of a roller coaster for me. At the beginning of the week I didn't think I really had much to report. Same ole. Same ole. Feeling good. Getting back into a routine. Tackling my yard. But then the end of the week came, and my oh my, what is this? Nausea again?!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

It's not the same as first trimester. I don't feel like lying on the couch all day. I have my energy (though I didn't get it all back like I did with the first baby), but I have that sick feeling creeping through my body again. I'm not sick, but I feel like if I cough too hard or don't eat as soon as the hunger monster flexes his claws, I may, ahem, spill my cookies. I've described nausea before as the feeling of toxins streaming through my blood. And THAT is what I'm feeling again.

On the happy side, this is a different thing for me, so . . . different pregnancy = different sex of the baby?!??!? But, alas, I know enough to know it really doesn't mean anything. I've decided to adopt the get-psyched-for-a-girl strategy. I've been day dreaming of matching dresses on Easter, extensive craft projects, and chic flicks dominating movie nights.

I'm really excited about the possible giraffe theme for my nursery. I found this photo too--it's a real giraffe! How fun! And giraffe books at the library catch my eye now. Also I'm wondering where I can get a four-foot stuffed giraffe to put in the nursery!

A question for you veteran moms: How old were your kids when they started playing alone in their rooms? My oldest is almost two and still has no interest in playing in her room. It doesn't bother me at all; I just want to know what the average age is so I can figure out what to expect with this next one. Here are my ideas if the baby isn't really going to use his/her own room for a couple of years:

1. The only room left for the nursery is also our office. It'll probably remain an office/nursery to begin with.

2. If it really takes a couple of years for the baby to care about his/her room, if it's a girl, in a couple of years, I might just make the office an office/playroom and have the girls sleep in the same bedroom. Is that reasonable? (One girl would be two years old and the other would be four.)

3. If I really have two years, there's also the possibility of moving to a larger home by the time the baby cares. In that case, I really have nothing to worry about now. The nursery is pretty inconsequential.

So, moms, what do you think? Reasonable expectations? I can't wait to hear your feedback!

**Bonus** Check out Pregnancy and Newborn's recent mag. Page 38 has ideas for healthy snack options to substitute when you're craving less healthy stuff. Oh, and there's a really good BumGenius (our fav cloth diapers) coupon in the back of the mag too!

**Photo courtesy of HarmonyRae**

12 Weeks Prego

I remember getting so excited to hit the 12 week mark during my first pregnancy. The nausea was rough, and everyone promised that it would get better during my second trimester. In my mind, 12 weeks=3 months=first trimester. Boy was I disappointed when I found out the second trimester didn't start until 14 weeks or later. I actually dealt with nausea for about 16 weeks with my first baby. I'm believing this one won't be quite so long.

I can say that the nausea has lessened ever so slightly. I'm still on the couch more often than not, but I've made it into the kitchen a few times to clean dishes or cook dinner (usually still with my hubby's help), and I have avoided a lot of problems by eating saltine crackers on a regular basis. They fix most anything:

**Morning sickness: Before I get out of bed in the morning, I eat a few crackers and let them settle in my tummy. By the time I get up, I'm okay to make breakfast without getting sick.

**Random crippling hunger pains: Hunger strikes and I can barely walk to the kitchen, let alone fathom the idea of dealing with the refrigerator smell (more on that later), I grab my rescue bag of crackers and down a few until my hubby has time to make me some real food.

**Late Night Tummy Rumbles: No matter what I eat during the day, hunger strikes right after I brush my teeth and my head is hitting the pillow. Enter trusty saltines again.

This is probably one of my least healthy habits, and I'm almost ashamed to admit it. But there are a few beliefs that allow me to eat the evil white crackers:

1. Listen to your body. My body knows what it needs. And right now if it doesn't get that thing, it will rebel in the worst way--usually in the form of retching. And I know my body doesn't particularly enjoy that.

2. This isn't a permanent habit. It's only a few weeks. I'm biding my time to get to a healthier meal plan, and since I've done this before, I know that I will get my appetite back, and I will change to better foods.

3. Eating saltines bothers me because, as a general, rule I try to avoid white food. White flour predominant in crackers is a big red flag. While I haven't switched my crackers to a healthier option--I'm sure Kashi has something that's better for me; I have switched my white bread (toast with honey is another staple keeping me alive right now) to the best bread I can find--made locally with minimum ingredients, and everything inside is as healthy as it gets.

On another note, my sensitivity to the smell of the fridge has reached a horrifying level. I must keep my nose firmly plugged when opening the fridge or else whatever I ate last is sure to reappear. What's interesting is that other fridges don't bother me, just mine. My husband has cleared old leftovers, cleaned shelves, and I even put a big open container of baking soda in there; but I still have to be at least 50 feet away before the door opens. Last pregnancy it was both my fridge and the teacher's lounge--when I walked in, I could instantly smell every single food/meal/snack that had been microwaved or stored in the lounge. What kind of smells do you struggle with? Do you find that it's the familiar and everyday smells that bother you more? I do.

*Photo courtesy of D Sharon Pruitt