Baby H: Week 18 (times two)

I think this belly is definitely out there now and people aren't questioning whether I'm pregnant or not anymore. It seems like overnight all my non-maternity pants no longer fit and everything is just feeling tight. I'm hoping this means the baby incubating in there is growing just perfectly. Speaking of growing, my skin has been so itchy and dry lately. I'm sure some of it has to do with the snowy weather and running the heat all the time but goodness sakes is everything dry around here. My lips are chapped, my skin is itchy, my hair is staticky, I've been getting bloody noses. Thankfully I'm in a much easier rotation now in terms of minute to minute so I'm able to carry my water bottle around with me all the time making sure I'm drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day. The down side is all the trips to the restroom. You win some you lose some right.

This past week was Thanksgiving and lucky for me my aversion to "meats" subsided for the day and I was able to enjoy some turkey with all the fixings. I do wish I was able to have a mimosa while everyone chatted in the morning or a glass of wine when we sat down for dinner but that's alright, I made up for it in extra pie! I'm still wanting salty things on a regular basis and did some serious damage on Lays and onion dip over the last few days. New this week is a serious craving for vanilla hot fudge sundaes. J went out to both Sonic and Culvers at different points throughout the week to make a momma happy and I ended up buying ingredients when we went grocery shopping so he doesn't have to run out anymore. I've also been drinking more milk than usual (I've always been a milk drinker, just more so now) and was craving some of the green smoothies I used to whip up so at least all my eating isn't bad?

Looking back on my Mark belly at this time and noticed two very odd coincidences. One is that I wore the same exact outfit for my 18 week post with him in my belly, minus the fact that my non-maternity jeans still fit at that point (see above, especially the ice-cream!). The second is that it was also this week that I got my first unsolicited belly rub from someone and the consensus is in, I still hate it. It sure is strange that it happened both times in the same week isn't it.

We are a little less than 3 weeks out to knowing if this baby is a boy or a girl and I seriously cannot wait! Like I want to re-schedule my appointment for earlier cannot wait. My prediction is still holding strong (still not telling) to the point that I might have even bought something for this new babe with gender in mind. Oops. Regardless, I can't believe that I love this baby so much already and can't wait to know another piece of the puzzle to who this little one is going to be. My favorite parts of the day/week are those moments when Mark is sprawled belly to belly with me as I'm rocking him to sleep and under the pressure of his little body I feel his brother or sister squirm away as if to say "hi guys, I'm here too". I love you little one, don't you ever think anything different!

Baby H: Week 17 (times two)

Another week along and thankfully things with this baby are going very smooth recently. It's so different being pregnant in the winter this time around. Bundling up in sweaters, hiding under sweatshirts, wearing heavy jackets... all with this baby bump hiding underneath! Not to mention stretchy pants and no excuse to indulge over the holidays!

I had my doctor's appointment just the other day and this little babe's heartbeat was running right along at 144. I mentioned the dizziness/almost fainting episodes I was dealing with and while the NP I saw at my visit is "sure its food and water related" (which it very well might be), I wanted to make sure it wasn't related to anemia instead. I have a history of anemia not pregnant as well as pregnancy-induced anemia with Mark and since I had to get blood drawn for the second part of our genetic screening anyways she threw on a CBC just to check. She also said it couldn't hurt to start taking some extra iron regardless which will hopefully make a difference in my energy levels too.

And just like last time I'm in full time daydreaming land related to this new baby. I keep pinning new nursery ideas and am pretty sure I have a color scheme depending on this little ones gender. We've decided to keep Mark's current room as the official baby room meaning there will be lots of moving around upstairs before this baby comes. We have to rearrange the office to accommodate the guest bed which is currently in the room that will be Mark's big boy room. We'll likely be moving Mark out of the nursery sometime around Christmas just for the pure fact that I have two weeks off to deal with all the changes. Once he's settled in his new room I'll get to start on the new baby's nursery decorating. We've decided to buy another crib because the thought of moving Mark into a toddler bed, and having him transition before my due date, seems way too daunting. Plus I have no problem if he's in a crib till he's two, ha! I'm pretty sure we'll be getting another Jenny Lind crib because I love the classic design but I'm contemplating getting a colored one this time!

This week a friend of mine lost her baby and it breaks my heart. She was only one day ahead of me in her pregnancy and the thought of losing the sweet babe in my belly just makes my heart hurt. I couldn't imagine what a loss like that would feel like. I find myself laying my hand on my growing belly even more thankful than before for the healthy babe growing inside. Baby's sure are blessings and gifts and I'm so grateful to have another. We love you little one, more than you know.

Numbers v4

ZERO: the number of people who have commented on my baby bump. which is actually a plus for me because I frequently feel like it's large and in charge.

ONE: day left going into an OR for who knows how long. since I've already completed one month of surgery as well as my OBGYN rotation I can't anticipate needing to go into an OR after this month of surgery is finished. so strange!

TWO: the number of molars Mark has slightly broken through the gum right now. and I'm pretty sure there's one more that's really REALLY close too. hence the whining and the chewing and the less napping he's been up to lately.

THREE: shelf exams for rotations I've taken so far this year. also the number of shelf exams I have left!

SIX: the number of med school ladies who I'm missing like crazy lately. it's so different this year being in all different places on all different schedules instead of being on campus in class throughout the week. they all make me happy and I foresee a get-together happening soon.

EIGHT: inches of snow fell this week and we're predicted to get a few more in the next week too. we've had a fairly mild fall/winter so far this year so it's nice to have it actually feeling like winter every now and then.

THIRTY-FIVE: days till Christmas and I can barely contain my excitement. I'm pretty sure I'll be working on Thanksgiving and won't get to celebrate with family (although I'm insisting J and I eat stuffing and mashed potatoes another day if I miss it) making my holiday break that much more special.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN: number of days pregnant I am today. which means only 164 (ish) left until there's a new baby in my arms!

Numbers v1 v2 v3

Baby H: Week 16 (times two)

Same as last time, I'm shocked that at 16 weeks this pregnancy is 40% of the way done! It seems like the almost first half of this pregnancy has really flown by and we're that much closer to meeting this new sweet babe of ours. 

I might be on the last few days/weeks of the hair-tie trick for my jeans and am actually looking forward to maternity jeans. Hello stretchy waist band! (Especially for the holidays!) I don't think my belly was ever back to it's 100% state because looking back posts from when Mark was in my belly I haven't had any of the stretching sensations I did previously as this belly continues to grow. Speaking of growing, my boobs have already started getting bigger and I'm already keeping my fingers crossed this means a better milk supply once the babe makes his/her arrival. Really though my body has truly felt good this pregnancy. I was worried what being on my feet more, standing for hours in the OR, running to the ED, etc etc would do to my body and so far so good. Now none of this speaks to the exhaustion I still feel some evenings but that's 3rd year of med school standard I think. I'm lucky to have much easier rotations as the year goes on so hopefully the toll of carrying a baby doesn't get too much to handle. 

I'm still craving salty things but not nearly as much as last week. I'm also still turned off by large portions of meat and really any seafood except shrimp. Otherwise I have no pregnancy symptoms to report, no stretch marks, no itchy skin, no break-outs, etc etc. I'm happy that its been quite a relief to have no nausea this week too! I do occasionally still miss booze (hard ciders during football games, the thought of wine around the holidays) and really want eggs benny so I might be asking my doc at my next appointment what her real thoughts on eggs are. Ha! 

The best part of this week by far has been a few flutters that I'm finally convinced are the babe and not just gas. I was unsure for a while if I was actually feeling little baby flips in there because this is much sooner than I felt Mark but now I'm convinced. I also scheduled my anatomy scan for this babe (way ahead of time because of my stupid schedule) and we should know middle of December if I'll forever be a boy momma or if we'll have one of each. I'm really leaning one direction in terms of gender so we'll see if momma's right again. Thinking about whether this little one is a girl or boy has me so anxious to meet in the spring! 

And how about some comparisons shall we! 8, 12, 16 weeks with Baby #2 and with my Mark belly!

Baby H: Week 15 (times two)

Another week down growing this new babe and it seems like this last week really flew by which is always a plus. I found a silly size-comparison chart recently and seeing as I hate that babies are always compared to the size of fruits, was amused to learn this baby of mine is the size of a canary and/or an eclair. 

I'm still thankfully maternity clothes free (except for hiding my BeBand under my unbuttoned jeans) which is nice since the weather is starting to cool off and I'm not wanting to completely re-buy my wardrobe for the winter. At work I'm lucky enough to get to wear the lovely blue surgical scrubs every day and while I've had to go up a size in the pants it definitely makes getting dressed in the morning easy. I recently picked up a few long-sleeved maternity tops and a pair of maternity skinny jeans and I'm hoping leggings, long cardigans, dresses, etc from my normal wardrobe can allow me to not need too many more items. It's so different being pregnant in the opposite season this time around. I'll be sure to let you know if I prefer summer or winter pregnancies. 

This week I've been craving all things salty. I seriously can't get enough. In all honestly I think this craving is because I've been horrible about making sure I drink enough water every day so my body is going to the back-up plan, getting me to crave salt, to help retain water. It's my mission from here on out to make sure I'm drinking more. I've also really not been into my morning cup of coffee this week which is strange if you know anything about me and my love for it. It's great because I can tell my body is detoxing off the caffeine and I don't need it like I used to. 

One thing that's been a huge pain this pregnancy is that it seem like my whole GI system is out of whack. I was much more nauseous and had way more "morning" sickness this time around which thankfully is gone at this point. But in it's place it seems like my whole system is super sensitive and reacts much more extreme than it used to. Some spicy foods (which I've always loved and even craved with Mark) set my stomach off the next day and instead of just being a little uneasy, I end up vomiting and having spasm like cramps the rest of the day. I sure hope this doesn't hang around for good! I'm also battling hit-or-miss sleep which also happened at this point with Mark but on top of being super busy I'm exhausted by the end of the day. Not to mention frustrated that I can't just lay down and sleep at night. 

Even with it all, little one, I'm so happy to be on this journey with you!

Baby H: Week 14 (times two)

I almost can't believe I'm already into my second trimester with our second baby because time seems like it's flying with this pregnancy already. And yet sometimes I feel like this baby has been around and part of our family for so long. Maybe it's because I know more of what to expect from here on out or because I'm less nervous the second time but either way, my momma heart feels like I know this baby so well and that he or she is a piece of our family puzzle we didn't even know was missing. 

I am happy to report that it seems like the nausea is starting to really be gone. It's been quite a while since I've even been close to throwing up and the mornings are getting easier to handle without immediately stuffing my face. I am finding that I'm hungrier during the day which is just par for the course when acting as a human incubator so I always make sure to have easy snacks to quickly grab and try to get something substantial (good carbs + protein) when I do get a chance to eat. It's much harder this time around because I'm in my second month of surgery rotation which means we often work through lunch, have surgeries that are hours long and as of right now no one knows I'm pregnant making it hard to sneak away to eat/drink. I know it's what I need to do to be healthy for this baby and for myself so I would never put myself in a bad position but it just makes things more complicated. Being busy has it's perks though as I'm still only up about 4 lbs which is comforting when I occasionally feel like a whale.

Speaking of surgery while pregnant I did have a moment in a morning surgery where I felt like I was going to pass out. I got very flushed and lightheaded, my vision got narrow, I started feeling sweaty and tingly. It was pretty horrible. I still haven't figured out what caused it (low blood sugar, anemia, standing with locked knees, dehydration, etc) but I found somewhere to sit immediately and slowly got better after a few minutes. I dealt with some similar dizziness during my pregnancy with Mark and it's definitely something I'll be mentioning at my next doctors appointment because goodness it sucks!

In happier news I've been thinking about what to do for another gender reveal which is so exciting. We should be finding out around the second week of December so I'm tossing around ideas that could maybe take into account the festive holiday spirit. J and I still need to decide if we'll find out ourselves first and then surprise everyone else or if it'll be a reveal for us too. I still have a good hunch about if this little one is a girl or boy but one thing that's different this time around is that I've wavered much more than I did with Mark. Regardless of it all though I'm so looking forward to knowing a bit more about this sweet babe in my belly!