14 weeks!

14 weeks pregnant (12/31/11)

Today marks the first day of my second trimester. I think that I'm not going to really feel pregnant and like I'm having a baby until I actually feel the presence of this baby. Once you can feel movement, then you get a constant reminder and reassurance that there is an actual person growing inside of you. Up until that point, it's easy to wonder 'is there really a baby in there?' I felt Jack move between 18-19 weeks and I've heard you'll notice a second baby sooner because you'll be more aware of what it feels like. We shall see!

I'm in a phase right now where some days I feel so big and obviously pregnant looking and then other days where I don't feel that I'm really showing at all. I like wearing tank tops under my shirts as I feel it helps smooth out the bump :) I'm wearing only maternity pants and love my corduroy (supposed to be gray but they look purple) pants from Gap!

We had a big week here with an AWESOME trip to Jackson Hole to celebrate Christmas with my family. Jacob and I got a serious vacation from the stress of the new house and lots of help with caring for Jack, who had the time of his life. Highlights were downhill skiing for Jacob, a spa day with my siblings for me, cross country skiing for the whole family including Jack (who was pulled in a sled), lots of Christmas cookies, and good eats.

All bundled up

Playing in the snow

Jack can walk this year!

Christmas Eve present: a fireman sleeping bag!

Santa brought Jack a double-decker bus, but he turned it into a "car carrier" by putting play doh on top and sticking cars on top :)
Opening presents with Uncle Chris

A shared Christmas present from my parents' Ireland trip

Grammy and Big Papa took Jack "skiing" - so cool!
Jack LOVES Frosty so he really loved this big Frosty :)

Uncle Chris rose to epic status with an up close visit to the machines that work on the mountain with him.

Uncle Chris also arranged a visit to the mountain fire station - oh yeah!
Getting strapped into a makeshift sled so he could join in the cross country skiing trip.

That's Jack being pulled by Daddy and followed by Mommy.

We ended the week with some minor surgery. Jack has had persistent ear infections all fall/winter so he was referred to an ENT who said he needed tubes put in. We found ourselves back at Children's Hospital yesterday for the surgery. It was nice that this surgery didn't come with the high levels of anxiety that came along with Jack's open heart surgery, but we did have to navigate the experience of preparing a toddler for a hospital trip. Jack loves going to the doctor and talking about ambulances and hospitals, so I messaged it as "Tomorrow, we are all going to go to the hospital so the doctor can fix your ears. The doctor said you can't eat any yum yum until after your ears are fixed. He will wait until you are sleeping to fix your ears. Okay?" I said this throughout the day on Thursday to the point where he was telling me what was going to happen on Friday. He did awesome even to the point of letting the nurses wheel him away to the OR without tears. The doctor found that his ears were infected yet again, so we were glad that we went ahead with this procedure. Jack didn't like the IV in his foot and was upset for the first hour post-surgery as he came out of anesthesia, but he quickly recovered. Hopefully this means an end to ear infections!

Week Fourteen Stats:

How I know I'm pregnant: Still peeing nightly, have the bump, and still dealing with some lingering nausea though it is DEFINITELY improving

Diet: My sweet tooth is back! I still want to eat bread and cheese and red delicious apples almost every day for lunch, but my aversions are becoming fewer.

My healthy pregnancy intentions for last week (how I did):

1) Take advantage of the extra help I have for the next few days as I visit my family and take better care of myself: more rest, some downtime, and less stress! √

2) Start doing my Kegels and other Bradley course exercises. I was pretty good about the exercises last time but never remembered to do Kegels. Only did these 1 day

3) Look into attending a prenatal yoga class in New Orleans as a way to carve some quiet time for me (and baby) into my week and to meet other expectant mothers. Didn't investigate, but Jacob gave me a coupon for 10 classes + his babysitting services, so I'm definitely going to go!

My healthy pregnancy intentions for this week:

1) Bradley course exercises and Kegels - shooting for at least 3 days this week

2) Go to my dermatologist to make sure the rash I've been sporting on my belly the last few weeks is nothing to worry about

3) I feel like maybe I'm getting both me and Jack stressed out by trying to do too much, so I will try not to set too many goals for myself with getting the house together as I will be going back to work this week

13 weeks!

13 weeks pregnant :) 12/25/11

I so love the Christmas season. I associate it with feelings of warmth, home, tradition, and family. It has certainly been fun to experience the season with a toddler. To talk about Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, to look at Christmas lights, to search for Frosty sightings, to spend extra time with family, etc. I've definitely been bummed that our big move nixed some of my favorite Christmas traditions: namely decorating and having a Christmas tree. But I get very excited when I think about next year: we'll be settled in our own home, have a precious little baby, and a wide eyed 3 year old to experience the season with.

On a very honest note, Jacob and I have been very tested by Jack and his behavior lately. In short, he has meltdowns pretty much any time he has to switch activities (i.e. going from playing to getting his diaper changed or even one fun activity to the next). He expresses this by hitting, head butting, and kicking us. It is really hard to remain calm when your 2 year old turns on you. In our sane moments, we talk about the importance of being consistent and keeping our cool. But when on the receiving end of a completely irrational child and his temper tantrum, we tend not to always keep our emotions out of it. I feel like this current stage has been the hardest of what I've experienced as a mother so far and I want to feel like I'm rising to the challenge gracefully. Working on it.

But sitting in the Jackson Hole Episcopal church last night with my parents, siblings, husband, Jack, and baby-to-be, Jack gave me my Christmas gift. He decided to take a break from his recent antics and was 100% cuddly, sweet, and reverent as we sang songs and watched the nativity pageant. I felt so thankful to spend Christmas with my family and to have the chance to remember, together, the meaning of this season.

Week Thirteen Stats:

How I know I'm pregnant: I look pregnant; my nausea is no longer constant, but still there; I'm up to pee every night like clockwork

Diet: Still picky - I am eating SO much cheese - last week I was also eating a lot of yogurt and even cottage cheese, so the dairy has definitely been calling me

My healthy pregnancy intentions for this week:

1) Take advantage of the extra help I have for the next few days as I visit my family and take better care of myself: more rest, some downtime, and less stress!

2) Start doing my Kegels and other Bradley course exercises. I was pretty good about the exercises last time but never remembered to do Kegels.

3) Look into attending a prenatal yoga class in New Orleans as a way to carve some quiet time for me (and baby) into my week and to meet other expectant mothers.

12 weeks pregnant

12 weeks pregnant (12-21-11)

A quick post...
- We are all pretty overwhelmed right now 3 days post-move. There are boxes and dust everywhere and not everything is functioning in our almost-ready new house.
- For Jacob, lots of settling bills, resolving issues, doing all the heavy lifting and cleaning, all while trying to work.
- For me, lots of trying to accomplish unpacking and cleaning with a 2 year old literally clinging to my legs, not napping, and fighting me every step of the way.
- For Jack, an ill-timed love/hate spike in his relationship with his momma: i.e. he wants me all the time but whenever I pick him up, he slaps me in the face.

We are a mess to say the least. There have been tears and some comments I'd like to take back (did I really just tell my child that I don't want to be his friend anymore??). I'm trying to snap out of it today bc this move is a good thing, this chaotic period will soon pass, and there are other families with real problems.

I am so grateful to several local friends who took Jack for playdates this past week. Thank you Katie, Jeffrey, Toy, and Jill!!! And to Michael and Morgan for dinner!! And to my mom, who keeps picking up the phone even though she knows I'm probably going to cry or launch into yet another what do I do question.

Yes, I'm still pregnant, although the poor baby is probably thinking - oh man, I'm not sure I want her for my mommy :( On a happier note, we had our 12 week apptmt. and got to hear a beautifully strong heartbeat!!

11 weeks!

11 weeks pregnant! (12/11/11)

Two thoughts this week. First, not to belabor the nausea, but for my own record, let me explain what I’m feeling like right now. I wake up first thing feeling nauseated. I know I need to eat, so I’ve rearranged my morning to shower after breakfast. After breakfast, I feel good for about 30 minutes and then the nausea starts to come back. Once it’s strong enough to bother me, I usually eat an apple or banana (or a less healthy snack if I’m not prepared). The nausea either doesn’t go away or it goes away briefly and then I just try to ignore it until lunch. No matter what I eat for lunch, the nauseated-probably-need-to-eat feeling is almost immediately replaced by the nauseated-I-feel-way-overfull feeling. This then lasts from early afternoon until I go to sleep. It’s a feeling like if I just lean over, I'd throw up. I’ll still eat dinner, but I don’t really want it. I then sleep as propped up as I can until I wake up in the middle of the night needing to pee. Then I’m back to just feeling regular nauseated, which I try to ignore so I can go back to sleep.

There is no question now that Jack’s pregnancy was easy and that this is much harder. Which is why I’m convinced I’m having a girl. (My mom was very sick with all 3 of her daughters, but not my brother.) I’m still very optimistic this will pass by 13-14 weeks like “the majority of pregnant woman” (quoting pregnancy books), but so far no relief.

The second thing I wanted to say is how appreciative I feel of my mother. My parents came to visit for Jack’s birthday and my mom stayed on a week to help me pack and take care of Jack. I’m not sure there are many other people who have the ability to be as selfless as she is. (I know I don’t have this ability.) She got up with Jack every morning, got him ready, fixed us breakfast, did the dishes, watched Jack or helped me with moving tasks, washed our clothes, folded our laundry, cooked us dinner, gave Jack baths, played with him, etc. It was such a help as I did need to focus on packing and it’s been so much harder to stay on top of everything lately. I got to have a vacation, yet stay in my own home, and still get to play with my child. And as a fringe benefit, I also got a lot of design help as I shopped for curtains, bathroom accessories, mirrors, etc. THANK YOU MOM!

Week Eleven Stats:

How I know I'm pregnant: nausea, nightly peeing, still have feeling that I can sense where baby is because there is a dense feeling in my belly, and strangers are now commenting on my pregnancy!!!!! At 10 weeks!!! Also wore maternity pants for the first time.

Diet: Eating much more of a variety, though I’m still averse to certain foods and am still not all that excited about eating

My healthy pregnancy intentions for last week (how I did)
1) Let HR and my manager know I'm pregnant (√)
2) Stop keeping my pregnancy a secret (√)
3) Use my afternoons to be VERY productive so I can still get the rest I need during this crazy moving week (√ - but on Wednesday the move got pushed back to next weekend bc the new house wasn’t ready so I wasn’t as productive the rest of the week)
4) Get 8 hours of sleep every night (7.5-8.5 hours depending on night)
5) Take each day one at a time, lower my standards, and don't let the move or any outside event allow me to become stressed (did pretty well with this)

My healthy pregnancy intentions for this week:

1) Go to bed by 10:00 and get 8 hours of sleep each night.

2) Stay calm and organized as we prepare for our second estimated moving date (Saturday, December 17).

3) Go to my second appointment with the midwives and hopefully hear the baby's heartbeat

10 weeks!

10 weeks! (12/3/11)

I still feel the same: nauseated most of the time, but there has been a definite shift this week in my overall tiredness - I've felt more like myself at times and was able to be productive most days. VERY HELPFUL with the move in just 5 more days!!

My baby bump was getting harder to hide last week. I don't have any shirts that really hide my waist, so in my work pants, I just looked like I've been putting on some pounds. But at home, after meals, and in my stretchy lounge pants, wow!! It's really crazy. It's like if I eat even a few bites, someone presses a button and I swell up to 20 weeks pregnant. I am very impressed by how early I'm showing. Jake and I have wondered a few times if Jack's "two babies" prediction might actually be right!!

I plan to talk to our HR Director and my manager early this week, so then the secret will be fully out of the bag.

Week Ten Stats:

How I know I'm pregnant: still pretty constant nausea, peeing in the night, very tired in the evening, and the sensation of density in my lower belly, like I just "feel" that is where the baby is

Diet: I've eaten more variety this week, but am still very picky. I had Jake make me an egg and cheese omelet three nights in a row. I've gotten attached to Greek yogurt and am excusing the expensive habit bc I saw it on a Top 10 Pregnancy Foods list (bc of the 14 g of protein).

My healthy pregnancy intentions for last week (how I did)
1) Email our HR director to get information about maternity leave (will do this tomorrow)
2) Make a daily to do list so I can stay on top of the move + get ready for Jack's birthday (!!) while still making sure I'm getting rest (√ - his party was SO fun and I packed many, many boxes)
3) Go to bed before 10:00 every night (I went to bed AT 10:00 every night, so I did okay on this)
4) Try to vary what I'm eating some to get more nutrients in (√)

My healthy pregnancy intentions for this week:
1) Let HR and my manager know I'm pregnant
2) Stop keeping my pregnancy a secret
3) Use my afternoons to be VERY productive so I can still get the rest I need during this crazy moving week
4) Get 8 hours of sleep every night
5) Take each day one at a time, lower my standards, and don't let the move or any outside event allow me to become stressed