How I Revealed Baby #2's Gender

It occurred to me that I never shared how I told A another sweet boy was on the way.


When I was pregnant with W, A was present during the ultrasound so we found out W's gender together.  We had a fun little day - gender reveal, then lunch, then shopping for a couple boy items to celebrate the big news.  This time around, I elected to do the Verifi test.  I liked that several chromosomal abnormalities could be tested for and being able to find out baby's gender was an added bonus.  But it also meant that I would find out baby's gender without A being present.


My OB's office never called me to let me know that the Verifi results were in.  I ended up calling them and was told that my test results were in fact in, but that a doctor needed to review them so they'd call back the following day.  Torture!!  And incredibly nerve wracking.  I thought that meant something was wrong.


The next morning, I kept my phone near me at all times.  Except when I walked down the hall to ask a coworker a question.  Naturally, that's the exact time I received a call from the doctor's office.  They left me a voicemail indicating that all test results were normal (such a relief!) and that they knew baby's gender so if I wanted to know, I needed to call back.


Of course I called back right away.  I was shaking as I made the call.  I didn't care either way, but it was such important and exciting news!  The gender of my baby!!  Would W have a sister or a brother?  Would I be buying bows or trucks?  I always thought boy.  But then there were times when I thought, "What if I'm wrong?".


The nurse didn't make me wait long and announced, "It's a boy!".  Another boy.  I smiled and thanked her.  It was so strange to find out via phone call.  And even stranger to have such a big secret all to myself.


Prior to the Verifi test, I had purchased a onesie that said Little Brother.  I was that confident that baby was a boy.  I didn't tell anyone about my purchase for fear that they'd think I was crazy and just kept the onesie in a bag in my closet.  I planned to give A the onesie when I got home, but I just couldn't wait.  I was so excited to share the news.
I immediately texted A and our conversation went something like this:
Me:  I have a secret
A:  A secret you can share??
Me:  Let's play a little game...
Me:  Go upstairs and into my closet
A:  Hang on, bringing W with me
A:  Ok, I'm there
Me:  Towards the back of the closet, near the hamper, you should see a gray bag
A:  Yes, I see it
Me:  Open it!!
A:  A BOY!!!!
A:

It turned out to be such a fun way to tell A. :)  He was very excited and though he never admitted it beforehand, he later told me he was hoping for another boy.

Weekend Recap

We had such a busy weekend and for the most part, it was really great!!

Last week, I came down with a cold.  Boo.  Friday, I felt terrible and slept most of the day away.  I got a break from the important work situation I've been involved in and worked from home part of the day.  I was really disappointed because I knew we had so much planned for Saturday.  I hoped the extra rest and all the liquids I was drinking would help me feel better fast.

I did feel a little better on Saturday so it was off to my doctor’s appointment first thing in the morning.  A and W joined me.  I had my 20 week ultrasound.  W cried a bit – I think he was concerned about mommy laying on the table in the dark room.  But after some reassurance and a cookie, he was fine.  At the ultrasound, we learned that baby #2 is breech.  My babies love to be right side up!  There’s still plenty of time for baby to turn.  But as a result of the position and despite several attempts from me to roll from one side to another, the technician couldn’t get all the measurements she needed.  So far, everything looks great and I’ll have another ultrasound in 4 weeks to check position and obtain remaining measurements.  Baby is definitely a boy and currently weighs about 14 oz!!  And he looks adorable in his ultrasound picture. ;)

A and W drove separately because W had his first day of school.  I was worried that my doctor appointment would run long and I wouldn’t be able to attend.  I was also worried I’d be too sick to go.  But my appointment ended right on time and I just couldn’t imagine missing W’s first day.  It was so important to me to be there.  So I went with plenty of hand sanitizer and Kleenex on hand.  I was careful and stayed away from the other children.  And it made me so happy to experience W’s first day with him.  He did great.  He played with tools, cars, and the sandbox.  He helped clean up.  He sat in a circle and sang songs – well, he listened to everyone else sing songs. J  And he finished class playing outside.  I’m so proud of him. J

We headed home for some lunch and a nap.  Later that day, we decided to head to a local farm.  W LOVED the animals.  He laughed as the cow mooed at him and chased the roosters.  He fed a goat and even went on a pony ride.  Then, he threw a fit when it was time to leave.  We’ll definitely go back – everything was free except for the pony ride.  Can’t beat that!!

It was a fabulous day!

Sunday was our usual routine.  I absolutely love our church and Starbucks routine.  I love seeing the same friendly faces week after week.  I wasn’t feeling great – still battling a cold and still recovering from the day prior.  My Bears lost in a horrible football game.  But other than that it was a good day.

Then Sunday night, around 11 pm, W woke up and seemed miserable.  It sounded like he was congested and he continued to cry.  I felt bad for him and brought him back to bed with me, but was worried my coughing would keep him up (I ALWAYS get bad coughs with colds).  He’d fall asleep for a couple minutes and then cry.  We gave him some Infant's Motrin and he eventually fell asleep laying on top of me.  I woke up around 1 am completely stuck.  I tapped A, who tried to pick up W, but had trouble.  The kiddo was practically glued to me. J  So picture a pregnant lady essentially trying to do a sit up with a 30 pound toddler laying on top of her.  It wasn't pretty and if I wasn’t concentrating so hard on not waking W, I think I would have burst out laughing.  Not sure what’s bothering my boy, but I’m praying he’s not coming down with yet another cold.  Time will tell.  Also, I don’t think I coughed the entire time W was with me, but as soon as I got back to bed, major coughing attack.  He’s good for my health.

So all in all, it was a wonderful weekend!

Fertility Friday

Blogging amateur here.  I've never actually participated in a link up.  I've never even considered it (and I'm probably doing something wrong :)).  But I recently discovered Jessah's blog Dreaming of Dimples.  I love the blog and love Jessah's positivity.  Jessah is hosting a Fertility Friday Link Up and I just so happened to have a draft post sitting around so I figured, "Why not?".  My thoughts...

Almost a year ago, I lost friends due to infertility.  I explained that story in a couple of blog posts here and here.  Basically, I was fortunate enough to have a successful pregnancy after IVF round 2 and that resulted in my perfect baby boy.  These “friends”, however, were still in the trenches of IVF and couldn’t continue a friendship with me for various reasons.  It still hurts sometimes.  Not so much because they couldn’t continue to be friends with me, but because of the really hurtful things that were said to me/about me.  And even worse, the fact that those hurtful things were just ignored/forgotten by other friends.  Friends who I thought would come to my defense or reach out to me privately didn’t do so.  Ouch.  But recently, I’ve had two friends affected by infertility.  Two friends who have reached out to me with countless questions, asking for advice, wanting my opinions.  I’ve enjoyed sharing my experiences and thoughts (while reminding them that each person’s situation is different and these are simply MY views and experiences) and I know they’ve really appreciated having someone to talk to who’s been through it all.  In some weird way, it makes up for losing friends.  My infertility story may have had a negative impact on some, but it also helped others.  It seems as though the situation has come full circle and I'll always be supportive of those who are struggling.  I eventually found success, but that doesn't mean I forgot about the heartache and despair that comes with infertility.

20 Weeks with Baby #2!

How far along? 20 weeks!  Halfway there!

Size? Baby is the size of a banana.  That seems large!

Maternity Clothes? Yes.  Still able to make some non maternity tops work.  I've been trying to have fun dressing the bump... hence my maternity fashion post. :)

Weight Gain? Not sure and I don't care.

Gender? Baby boy!

Sleep? Terrible lately.  I never feel like I get enough sleep.  Every night, either W or A wakes me up.  W crying or A snoring loudly.  I'm ready to check into a hotel!

Movement? Movement every day.  Waiting for those big kicks!!

Food Cravings? Specialty drinks!!  They're terrible for you and high in sugar, but I could have one every single day.  Trying to limit myself to 1 drink in the morning each week and 1 after work... 2 drinks per week.  My favorites are still the Caramel Frappe from McD's, Decaf Pumpkin Spice Latte, Decaf Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, and Caramel Apple Spice.  Yum!!  I literally want one all the time.

Labor signs? Way too early.

What I Miss? Chicago style hot dogs and Potbelly's turkey sandwich.  Being able to hold W for long stretches.  Being able to get up after sitting on the floor.

Symptoms?  My first leg cramp.  I got these during the night when I was pregnant with W and they are really painful.  Today I woke up not feeling well - sore throat, stomach pains, and nausea.  Hope whatever it is passes quickly!

Happy or Moody?  Moody.  My colleagues keep criticizing what I eat/drink for breakfast/lunch and it's really annoying.  Admittedly I don't eat enough fruits and veggies, but they're criticizing what I do eat/drink.  Especially my favorite - caffeine free Coke.  I have 1 each day and it's apparently the worst thing ever.  Sigh.  I also considered taking a sick day this week - I've just been feeling overwhelmed and tired all the time.  Cue major work situation, which means no sick day for me.

Looking Forward To?  The 20 week ultrasound!  I'm equal parts excited and nervous.  This is the big ultrasound where they look at all baby's organs, take measurements, etc.  Praying baby is healthy and on track.  Also looking for confirmation that he is in fact a he (not that I have any doubt).

Best Moment of the Week?  Slowly beginning to order items for baby #2's nursery.  I LOVE decorating rooms.  W and I played outside together on Sunday and I so enjoyed it.  He even got Ma to crawl up the playground equipment and go down the slide with him (I thought I was going to get stuck). :)

Weekend Recap

This past weekend was not at all what I expected.  Nothing went according to plan.

W was supposed to start school on Saturday, but Friday afternoon we received a phone call stating that his teacher was sick and he wouldn’t start until the following Saturday.  Given the impending weekend, this was actually a good thing.  But on the downside, it looks like I won’t be able to attend his first day of school with him since I have a doctor’s appointment. L

Friday night Saturday morning at around 12:30 am (I think – the time is a bit fuzzy), A awoke with abdominal pains.  For the next hour, he tossed and turned, walked around, groaned.  He then went downstairs to lie on the couch and try to wait out whatever was causing the pain.  I fell back asleep, but around 2:30 am, A woke me up to tell me his parents were heading over because he needed to go to the ER.  When they got to the house, I asked A if he wanted me to take him to the hospital or wait at the house with W.  By now it was sometime around 3-3:30.  W has been waking early – typically around 5:30 so he would be up relatively soon.  A said he thought I should be home when W woke up.  So I stayed at the house waiting for news.  As expected, W was awake by 5:30.  Sometime around 6 am, A texted me with his diagnosis – a kidney stone.  It was a big relief hearing that.  I had so many illnesses/diagnoses racing through my mind; a kidney stone seemed much less tragic (albeit painful).

A, my mom, and I were supposed to attend a wedding that day.  My cousin was getting married and I had been looking forward to it.  Although she’s younger, my cousin and I grew up together.  I baby-sat her when she was little, was her confirmation sponsor, attended swim meets, and watched her in the high school band.  My mom is her godmother and was supposed to read a bible passage during the wedding ceremony.  Further complicating the matter was that A and I were supposed to drive my mom and pick up brother.  My mom doesn’t drive long distances (the wedding was an hour away) and my brother does not own a car (he lives in Chicago and takes public transit).  So long story short, it was decided that I would go to the wedding and A would stay home and rest.  W would still go to his aunt and uncle’s house, as originally planned, to give A a break after the crazy night – not to mention A was still having some pain.

I was really disappointed.  I had been looking forward to attending the wedding with A and 2.5+ hours of driving after little sleep was not appealing.  Also, I had never been to the town the wedding was in and had no idea where I was going.

I was supposed to drop W off at his aunt and uncle’s house, but he was sound asleep at the time we had planned to leave.  He also had not had lunch.  A offered to drop W off so that my mom and I could head out.  Apparently W was a mess when A dropped him off.  He had a major meltdown and was very upset that A was leaving.  He proceeded to have meltdowns the entire time and A picked him up early.  I felt terrible.

My mom, brother, and I eventually made it to the wedding.  My cousin looked gorgeous and the wedding was beautiful.  Then we had to find the reception site – that took another 45 minutes of driving.  Ugh.  We finally made it.  My mom ended up sitting at my table even though she wasn’t originally seated there.  She was able to take A’s spot and was so happy to be sitting with me, my brother, and cousins.  I have to say, my cousins are some of the funniest people EVER.  I literally did not stop laughing throughout the entire reception.  It was the highlight of my day.  As I glanced at the other tables, they were chatting, looking somewhat serious, while my cousins and I were crying from laughing so hard. J

Finally, I made it home, completely exhausted.  Everyone was asleep when I arrived.  W had his usual 5:30 am wake up and I spent the majority of Sunday completely drained from the day prior.  There were a few highlights on Sunday – a trip to the park, a family walk, and teaching W somersaults (until he spit up – oops).

I tried to make the most of the weekend, but it definitely wasn’t what I hoped it would be.  I’m still a bit sad at how it turned out, but I guess things can't always go according to plan. L

21 Months of W

W turned 21 months on Saturday.  Where oh where has the time gone (I actually typed 20 instead of 21!!)?

I think this was one of my favorite months with you, little man.  You’ve been trying to say more and your personality is really emerging.  You’ve just been downright fun.  I think I’ve laughed at your antics this month more than any other.  You have this uncanny ability to detect when your Da is making a sarcastic remark or subtle joke and you laugh.  This happened at church recently.  Da said something under his breath and you let out a laugh – hilarious.  There’s no way you understood the joke, but somehow you recognized that it was indeed a joke.  We were out for a walk over the weekend and right after a golfer teed off, you started laughing.  Not sure if it was actually a poor shot, but your timing was impeccable.  I also had a laugh at the grocery store when a man knocked over a sign and you said “uh oh!!”. J

You started ‘gymnastics’ this month!  You attend gymnastics with Nani and from what I understand, you do lots of climbing and even tried a headstand recently!!  Unfortunately you haven’t quite learned that gymnastics should only occur at gym class, on padded mats.  You’ve recently tried jumping off of chairs at home and overturning baskets so you can stand on them.  Mom quickly intervenes.

You’ve picked up quite a few words this month (much to my relief!).  These include: Moon (moo), Chips (dip), Goat (go), Bra (baa), and Zebra (bruh).  You repeatedly say something that sounds like “ dot-in“, which I think means clock?!?  Not sure, but I asked you to repeat it several times and then show me and you pointed to the clock?  You’ve also said oh no a few times (no no) and door (doe).

You’ve started watching Daniel Tiger recently, while mom gets ready for work.  I had a pretty strict no tv philosophy, but the show is on my phone and about 10 minutes long… AND I can actually get dressed so I’m allowing it. J  With that said, I’ve tried other shows on my phone just to see if you might be interested and Daniel Tiger is the only one you like.

You’ve also started telling us when you need a diaper change, which is really great.  You pat your diaper - front for pee and back for poop.  I appreciate that I no longer have to sniff you. ;)

Sleep was especially challenging this month.  You came down with a cold and the first week of said cold, I believe your sinuses were bothering you.  You didn’t seem all that congested, but you pointed to your nose quite a few times.  During that week, I think you woke something like 5 nights out of 7.  It was rough.  After 2 weeks, your cold is just about gone.  Yay!

Separation anxiety seems to have suddenly kicked in full force.  You had a few major meltdowns at Brian and Becky’s house and also cried when I brought you over to Aunt Connie’s house (even though I was with you the entire time).

As is the case every month, you still love books, you still love to be outside, you love to ‘help’ around the house, and we still get comments on your hair. J

Happy 21 months!  Next big event for you is school!  It starts on Saturday and we’re hoping it will be great for socialization and for speech.  You are our everything and more, little man!

Does the Work/Life Balance Really Exist??

I continually struggle with the work/life balance.  That should be obvious since I’ve mentioned it 4972 times on the blog and I’m certain I’ll never feel like I’ve achieved that balance.  I continually wonder if I’m spending enough time with W.  When I arrive home from work, little man is stuck to me like glue.  He wants to be picked up constantly.  I make an effort to give him my full undivided attention between the time I arrive home and the time he goes to bed.  Very limited cell phone time, no tv for me (except on that rare occasion when the Bears are playing in prime time, but even then, I watch very little of the game).  I focus on W and what he wants to do – which is usually reading books, playing with trucks, and playing with puzzles – or last night, jumping off chairs!?! (I did put a stop to that one).  But lately I’ve been wondering, is he clinging to me because he doesn’t spend enough time with me or are these just typical toddler antics?  The former is heartbreaking so I really hope it’s the latter.  I’ve thought about how I could change my work schedule and what I could do differently and I have no good answer.  Moving to part time might be possible but I’m not sure work would be on board and I don’t think our finances could handle it.  Maybe I could work from home 1 day per week – that would save me an hour and a half of driving, but again, not sure if work would be on board.  Maybe the pregnancy hormones are just making me feel extra guilty and burdened lately.  I know we’re very very lucky in that our moms watch W during the week.  Little man is always cared for by family and he is oh so loved.  And in my heart, I know he knows that… so perhaps that’s enough and I should stop worrying…

On a MUCH lighter note, I had two people approach me today and say “What?!?  You’re pregnant?!?!”  It was really funny.  This rather large bump surely didn’t happen overnight.  Happy Friday!! J

My Blog

I felt a little silly after my post on maternity fashion.  I guess I’m just not sure what direction this blog should take and it’s a little all over the place.  But on second thought – it’s a pretty accurate reflection of me. J  Some days I’m thinking about what to wear and other days I’m consumed by work, my thoughts on the work/life balance, and a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.  So I suppose this blog will continue to be a little of everything… a piece of me. J  And I’ll continue with silly fashion posts every now and then.  After all, I think it will be fun to look back in a few years and remember my pregnancy, what I was thinking, what I was wearing…

A Post on Maternity Fashion

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I’m hating my clothes lately.  For some reason my maternity clothes from my first pregnancy just feel sloppy and frumpy.  I’m trying to make them work, but just not loving them.  I’ve also been trying to make some of my non-maternity clothes work while I still can.  I’ve been mixing various loose tops with non-maternity cardigans (it’s always cold in my office and our mornings have been in the 50s recently) and adding belts and jewelry for some added flair.  I’ve found that there’s no need for maternity cardigans so don’t waste your money.  Just stick with a non-maternity cardigan and leave it open.  My go to maternity stores are GAP, Old Navy, Motherhood Maternity, and Loft.  But like I mentioned previously, I’m trying not to buy much and I refuse to pay full price for anything.  This time around I’ve purchased 2 short sleeve tops, 1 white tank, 3 long sleeve tops, 1 sweater, 1 pair of jeans, and 1 pair of black dress pants.  The most expensive item was the jeans and those were about $30 (on sale).  All others were on sale and I hope they’ll get me through this pregnancy (along with the items I saved from my first pregnancy). :)

See all those clothes behind me?  Most of them don’t fit.  But this yellow-green top is a non-maternity top and the color just says fall to me.  A maternity tank underneath and a cardigan over it makes me feel covered and warm.  Cardigans are my best friend lately.  Also, I need to move that mirror.  Clearly there’s not enough room in my closet for the mirror and me.  I should also mention that I can only wear jeans to work on Fridays.  Believe me, I’d wear them every day if I could!  And one more thing – half panel vs. full panel.  Some people swear by one or the other.  I’m definitely a full panel girl – the half panel just doesn't seem to fit right and usually rolls down.  I like the coverage of the full, but that’s me.

This is the 1 sweater I purchased.  It's a good transition piece from summer to fall because it's really thin.  And it was also CHEAP!  GAP has had some killer sales lately... 40% off, GAP Cash, etc.  And yes, my mirror is filthy - I don't see any reason to clean it until W is about 5. ;)

I LOVE this gray striped cardigan.  Long cardigans are my thing and stripes… a bonus!  Non maternity cardigan and white top with maternity tank and maternity jeans.

More stripes (notice my stripe obsession?).  Both top and jeans are maternity.

Clearly I'm not a photographer... or a fashion expert.  But it has been fun (and maybe a little frustrating at times) to find outfits that work for my growing belly.

Weekend Recap

This weekend was… refreshing?  I can’t really think of a better way to describe it.  W actually slept through the night.  He was still up by 5:30 each morning, but I can handle that.  I was in bed by 9pm on both Friday and Saturday night and felt so much better after a good night’s sleep.  We didn’t have many plans this weekend, which was perfect.  There was still plenty to do, but without the added pressure of having to be somewhere at a certain time.  That will all change this coming weekend and next as we have school starting for W, a family wedding, a doctor’s appointment, and more.  Uggh.  Anyway, back to this past weekend…

W still has some sort of cold/allergy/drippy nose thing going on, but he’s been himself, which is great.  Saturday, I took my car in for an oil change and had plans to meet W and A for lunch.  I had my heart set on Egg Harbor, but the wait at 11:30am was 25 minutes.  Say what?  I thought we had arrived early enough.  Knowing W would probably not want to wait, we headed down the street to a Mexican restaurant.  It wasn’t Egg Harbor, but it was still tasty and W enjoyed people watching.  After that, I ran a couple other errands and W headed home for a nap.  Not much else to report.  With our cooler temps lately (which I love), I decided it would be a comfort food kind of weekend.  I tried a new macaroni and cheese recipe.  A and I agreed that it wasn’t great – we like the baked recipe I typically make.

Sunday was church.  A little note about church… we see the same people every weekend and I love that.  It really makes me happy.  We usually sit next to a little girl and a little boy – Kaylee and Ben, who attend church with their grandparents (separate grandparents – Kaylee and Ben aren’t related).  I would guess Kaylee is about 4 or 5 and Ben is 3 or 4.  So anyway, Kaylee often shares goldfish crackers with W.  She’s so incredibly sweet.  Ben is a typical boy, he gets restless and plays with cars, but W enjoys watching him.  W (reluctantly) shares his books with Kaylee and Ben (we’re working on sharing).  It’s so cute to see the three of them interact.  They were all SO well behaved yesterday.  Kaylee and Ben are both in tough situations.  Kaylee’s mom lost custody of her so Kaylee is taken care of by her grandma and foster parents.  But she really is the sweetest, very well behaved girl.  You’d never guess she was in such a tough situation.  And both of Ben’s parents passed away from drug addiction so he now lives with his grandparents.  Heartbreaking.  But again, aside from the typical boy rough and tumble-ness, you’d never know Ben was dealing with such a tough situation at a very young age.  And let me say that Ben’s grandfather was a lawyer and is now a prominent judge.  His uncle was high school valedictorian and graduated from the University of Notre Dame.  Kaylee’s grandmother is very involved in the community and it’s clear that she has high expectations of Kaylee.  I’m not sure what happened in the lives of Ben’s and Kaylee’s parents, but I do know that they had positive role models and wonderful families.  It actually scares me – no matter how much we teach our children and no matter what values we try to instill, they make their own choices in life and sometimes those choices have dire consequences.

Anyway, after church was Starbucks, I visited a friend for a short time, I made chicken tortilla soup and enchilada dip for dinner, A played outside with W, and we watched a little football.  All in all, a great weekend.

An Update on my Boys

Yesterday's post was a bit of a downer.  Like I said, it's been a long week.  But the good news is W slept through the night, which means mom got some sleep!!  I feel like a new person - except now I feel like I may be coming down with A's cold.  Uggh.  Anyway, time to talk about my boys... <3

It’s no secret that I love to talk about W.  I want to remember all the cute things he says and the funny things he does.  Lately, he makes me laugh constantly and I’m always surprised by his level of understanding.  After thinking that toddlerhood was going to be really tough and expecting that I wouldn’t really enjoy this stage, I’ve actually found myself loving raising a toddler (lately).  Well, except for the lack of sleep.  I realize this could change in a minute.  A couple months or so ago, W was having tantrums, hitting, and throwing various objects.  He still does these things occasionally, but not nearly as often.  He’s started saying quite a few more words, which helps him communicate, which leads to less frustration (I think).  Anyway, a couple fun things lately…

W had woken up from a nap and was cranky.  Usually extra cuddles and a snack perks him up.  Well on this particular day, I was in a hurry.  I needed to change clothes so I brought him to the bedroom with me and sat him on the bed.  I thought I’d change quickly, then pick him back up and head downstairs for a snack.  There were a few articles of clothing laying on the bed near him.  He picked one up, held it triumphantly over his head, and yelled “BRA!!!!”.  A happened to be in the room and I think both of our mouths dropped.  Then we burst out laughing.  I had no idea W knew that word (or that article of clothing) and for someone who hardly talks, it was hilarious to hear him say that.  I guess all guys like bras – even at 1 year old.

W was working on a farm puzzle and I was naming the pieces.  One of those pieces was a barn.  As soon as I said barn, W insisted that we go downstairs.  When we got to the bottom of the staircase, W ran and grabbed a book called Chickens to the Rescue.  He quickly turned the pages until he found the picture he was looking for – a red barn similar to his puzzle piece.

I’ve mentioned that W likes to watch videos of himself on my phone.  I had one video on the other day.  It was from quite a while ago – probably 6-7 months ago.  I was asking him what various animals said.  What does the cat say, what does the sheep say, etc.  Well, as he was watching the video, he was answering my animal noise questions very enthusiastically.  Really cute. J

My mom and W were reading the book about monkeys jumping on the bed.  You know… where one falls off and bumps his head.  Well, upon hearing that, W jumped off the couch and bumped his head on the (carpeted) floor just like the monkeys in the book.

And possibly, my favorite one yet… I was trying to figure out if I should bring W over to his grandma’s house.  He wasn’t feeling well and I didn’t know if she’d be comfortable watching him.  I didn’t want anyone else to get sick.  I texted her, but didn’t hear back right away.  In the meantime, I was trying to get ready for work and the only way I could do so was to give W my phone to watch videos of himself.  In that time, as we were getting ready to leave, unbeknownst to me, W’s grandma called my phone.  Naturally I didn’t hear it and W somehow managed to text back “Can’t talk now  - I’m on my way”.  I kid you not.  Fast forward a few minutes and I have W in the car.  I check my phone and see that W’s grandma called so I try calling back.  No answer.  Then I notice a text - “Can’t talk now  - I’m on my way” and assume it’s from her since I didn’t type it.  So now I’m confused as to whether I’m dropping off W or she’s coming to my house.  So apparently there is some iPhone setting that allows you to respond to a call with automatic text.  I have no idea how to even do that, but I guess W does.  We only figured this out 4 hours later after lots of confusion… “you texted me.” “no, you texted me.”  “it says that text came from me, but I swear I didn’t type that…”

As for the littlest boy, I’m feeling movement every day and it’s exciting each and every time.  I can't wait for the big rolls and kicks.  I’m so looking froward to meeting this little guy.  I hope he has his brother’s red hair and light eyes.  "My boys"... that sure does have a nice ring to it. J

This Week

This isn’t the post I intended to share today.

It’s been a bit of a rough week.  I actually cried last night because I just felt overwhelmed (and tired), but afterwards, I felt so much better (pregnancy hormones perhaps).  Sometimes I just need to get everything on my mind out in the open so it doesn’t remain bottled up.  A listened, we talked, I felt relieved.

I explained to A that mornings have been extremely stressful lately and that sets a precedence for the rest of my day.  With so many challenging mornings, it’s been a long, tough week.  W is very needy in the mornings.  I don’t mean that to sound so negative, but he constantly wants to be picked up and held.  It’s just not possible when A and I both need to get ready for work.  A offered to change up his schedule a bit – something so simple as showering before breakfast (instead of after) made a huge difference this morning.  I should also mention that because W has been getting up so early and wants attention, I’ve been leaving for work and arriving to work way later than usual.  Luckily, my work schedule is somewhat flexible, but it means I’m staying later.  So stressful morning + an extra-long work day was resulting in lots of frustration and exhaustion.  Hopefully the new routine will help.

I’ve also been stressed about finances.  We had to pay our first mortgage payment this month for the new house.  Obviously I knew about it ahead of time and knew the amount, but knowing and actually paying are different things.  We’ve also paid for a lot of house related items, home improvement type things (shelving, curtains, light fixtures, etc.) and décor.  Again, of course I knew about these, we budgeted for them, but seeing the money actually leave the account was a little overwhelming.

Also worth mentioning, W has not been sleeping well.  A and I are both exhausted.  It’s frustrating because I don’t know why he can’t stay asleep, but I do know he’s sleep deprived.  He woken up every night for at least 5 of the past 6 nights.  He seems congested during the night, but fine during the day.  Not sure if he has a cold or is getting his 2 year molars.  Naps have been short and he also wakes for the day 1 hour – 30 minutes earlier than usual.  He’s got to be exhausted.  Surprisingly, he hasn’t been that cranky during the day??  And I know it’s  a very controversial subject, but I’m just not a proponent of ‘cry it out’.  Some moms are and I totally understand why.  Children need to learn to self soothe.  I get it.  But I also know that W doesn’t really have an item that comforts him.  Some little ones are attached to blankets, pacifiers, stuffed animals, their thumb.  W isn’t attached to anything… which is actually great since that means we won’t have to break him of any bad habits.  But it occurred to me that maybe A and I are his “security blanket”.  When he cries in the night, he needs to be comforted and I’m not comfortable letting him continue to cry and cry.  Just my own thoughts/opinions – no judgment on anyone who practices cry it out because duh, who wouldn’t want to sleep?  And if this cycle continues, I may change my mind on the whole cry it out method.  Good thing he's so darn cute!!

And finally, my heart has been heavy this week.  A friend from high school lost her battle with cervical cancer.  She was recently admitted to the hospital with stomach pain where she learned that her cancer had spread.  Soon after, she was gone.  She was a sweet person and I enjoyed sharing stories about our little ones and seeing pictures of her daughter.  This hits especially close to home because we were the same age and our toddlers were the same age.  I can’t help thinking how angry I would be if I was in her situation.  And maybe she was, but she never expressed that.  It’s not fair that she was taken from her wonderful husband and sweet daughter way too soon.  It’s just not fair and I don’t understand it.

So that’s my week thus far. :\  But tomorrow is Friday.  A new day.  And soon, we’ll be on to a new week.

18 Weeks with Baby #2

How far along? 18 weeks

Size? Baby is the size of a sweet potato.

Maternity Clothes? Yes.  Still able to make some non maternity tops work.  Still tired of most of my clothes, but trying to suck it up and not buy anything.

Weight Gain? Around 10 pounds at last check.

Gender? A boy!

Sleep? I sleep really well when no one wakes me up (Ahem W and A!).  I do get up to use the bathroom quite often, though.  This baby definitely likes my bladder.

Movement? I'm feeling movement every day.  I only feel it a few times per day and it's subtle, but I love it!

Food Cravings? The small Carmel Frappe from McDonald's is still heavenly.  I could also go for chips and salsa!!  Mmmm!  Mexican food needs to happen this weekend.

Labor signs? Way too early.

What I Miss? Chicago style hot dogs and salami.

Symptoms? Feeling really good lately.  Still get tired easily.  I have the occasional sore back and feet when I overdo it, but otherwise great!

Happy or Moody? Happy!

Best Moment of the Week? Feeling more movement from baby.  W has been so funny lately (more on that in a future post).  I've really enjoyed cooking and trying new recipes recently?!?!  Weird because I've always hated cooking.

Weekend Recap

This weekend seemed like such a whirlwind that recapping it is giving me anxiety.  So much to do, so little time seems to sum it up.  Friday, we had some strong storms pass through the area, but luckily we didn’t encounter any damage.  I don’t recall anything else that stands out, except that W wanted chips for dinner and got angry when we wouldn’t let him have them.  He had a couple bites of pizza, which he usually likes, but I accidently gave him a piece of pizza with a miniscule bit of sausage and he was furious.  Never mind that he likes sausage?!?  Just not on pizza apparently.  SO that was fun.  Oh, Friday night Saturday morning around 4 am, A woke up with severe abdominal pains.  I thought I’d have to take him to the hospital.  He decided to try laying on a heating pad and felt a bit better.  Not sure what caused that.  W woke up at 5:30 am so we were all tired the following day.

I don't like pizza!!

Oh wait, yes, I do!!

Saturday, we went grocery shopping and W fell asleep on the way home – at 11:30 am.  His usual nap time is 1ish so that was different and threw off our plans a bit.  We went to my mom’s house to watch the airshow after a whopping 45 min nap.  W usually takes at least an hour and a half nap.  Anyway, I found the airshow to be really boring.  W pointed out a few airplanes, but was just happy to be outside.  After a lot of time outdoors, and some time playing with the cats, it was off to dinner.  Happy to report W was really good at the restaurant – and so was the food!  We asked for a seat near the window and that helped.  W was able to watch people going by.  After dinner we walked around the downtown area for a bit.  A started to have some pains again so we headed home.  A fun day and A felt better after resting.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!!

Sunday, was church and Starbucks.  W was really good during church.  I was really excited about the start of football season.  Not sure why – apparently I failed to remember that little boys don’t really care for football.  I was also too ambitious and decided to make lunch and dinner.  Both were easy, but very time consuming.  And if that weren’t enough, I also decided to decorate for fall and put up new curtains.  Oh, and I should also mention that W woke up Saturday night and took only a 30 min nap on Sunday.  Ughhhh.  I’m tired.  Anyway, both lunch and dinner were delicious, my team lost, and by the end of the day, my feet and back ached – BUT I felt so productive and accomplished so that’s something.

Fall decor - I've always wanted a fireplace.

Wore our orange and blue to church and then had breakfast at Starbucks

W put stickers on his face during the game.  Not sure why or what made him do that, but I couldn't stop laughing.

And then Sunday night/Monday morning, W woke at 10 pm, 1 am, and was up at 5:30 am.  He either has a cold or is teething.  Poor guy.  And poor mom and dad. :(

Friday Thoughts

If you are pregnant, do not Google pregnancy weight gain.  Seriously.  Don’t do it.  More than one site told me I was overweight pre pregnancy and that I had already gained too much weight.  It also said I should gain 10 pounds this pregnancy.  Umm, I think my doctor would have a major problem with that.  And considering I’ve already gained 10 lbs, there’s no way that’s happening.  Honestly, I was just curious what the typical weight gain was for this point in pregnancy and now I’m offended and feeling really self-conscious (and a bit down if I’m completely honest).  I’ve never been skinny, but I also didn’t think I was overweight.  Stupid weight gain calculators and stupid Google!!

 

I’ve been thinking about this pregnancy compared to my first.  In many ways, they’ve been similar.  This time around has been harder because I have a toddler who needs me and I feel like I never have enough energy.  This time, I think I’ve been more tired, but last time I had at least 3 episodes of syncope (fainting).  The way W was positioned, I believe he was compressing the inferior vena cava.  I would have occurrences where I’d become weak, I would get insanely hot and begin to sweat, I’d lose vision, and my hearing would become muffled.  It was scary.  I never actually fainted because I quickly sat down and tried to eat/drink when I recognized the symptoms.  I’ll take the tiredness over that any day.

 

Mornings have been stressful lately!!  W has been waking up around 6 am and then for the next hour, it’s craziness.  I try to get ready while W empties drawers, unplugs everything that’s plugged in, asks to go downstairs, takes all curling irons out of the bathroom cabinet, closes every door upstairs (5 of them), hands me various objects, and much more that I’m forgetting.  Essentially, I’m trying to get ready while making sure W doesn’t electrocute himself, lock himself in a room, or fall down the stairs.  Meanwhile, A just gets to take a shower and then leave (he helps when he can, but there’s roughly a 20 minute window between W waking and A leaving and A is showering and getting dressed during that time).  Uggh.  Maybe Pinterest will have some ideas for me on keeping him entertained - but that means I have to actually log into Pinterest...  Never mind that W’s room is a few feet away and contains nearly every toy a little boy could want.  I miss the bouncy seat and exersaucer!!!  Google also told me that toddlers sleep about 12 hours each night and take a 1-3 hour nap.   AHAHAHAHA.  W has never slept 12 hours.  Google is full of lies.

 

Anyway, it’s Friday!  I have high hopes for a great weekend!  There is an airshow at the airport right near my mom’s house on Saturday and I’m excited to take W.  My mom’s birthday is also on Saturday so we may attempt dinner – need a seat close to the door in case there are any screaming episodes.  And football games on Sunday!  It feels like the start of fall and I’m loving it!  Bring on pumpkin EVERYTHING and cooler temps!!  TGIF!!

IVF #3 - July and August

7/8/2014 - I had my first OB appointment on 7/7.  It went well, but I was a little disappointed that my doctor said it was too early to try to hear baby's heartbeat.  I wanted some reassurance baby is doing well.  BUT I really like my doctor.  He said we'd do an ultrasound at my next appointment in 4 weeks.  And then said if I wanted one earlier, he'd just say I was having cramps and get me in whenever I wanted.  Perfect.  So I have an ultrasound this Saturday.  We also told our parents baby #2 is on the way and they're excited.  I like to wait until 12 weeks, but I'm already showing and we couldn't wait to share the happy news.  Both received a picture of W holding a sign that said "I'm being promoted to big brother February 2015". :)

7/9/2014 - I never really had cravings with W and I wouldn't say I'm having cravings this time around.  BUT if there are sweets in sight, I WILL eat them.  I ate so healthy with W, but this time around, I'm ashamed to admit I've had waaay too many gummy bears (I blame A), Jelly Belly jelly beans (blaming my mom for buying these), and caffeine free Coke (no one to blame, but myself).  And really, I know consuming these is my fault, but I can't help myself.  Bring on the sweets!!  Not really, I'm actually feeling very guilty. :\  Also my friend (one of two who know) abbreviated baby 2 as BW2 and I'm still laughing about it weeks later because that happens to be an abbreviation for Buffalo Wild Wings... it's the little things that amuse me. :)

7/15/2014 - I had an ultrasound over the weekend and all looks good.  Baby is measuring 2 days ahead with a heart rate in the 160's. :)

7/17/2014 - My last PIO injection was on 7/14.  If that's not a cause for celebration, I don't know what is.  They were by far the worst part of IVF and I just couldn't take anymore.  I was so tired of the pain, the bruising, and the bleeding.  There was a lot of bleeding in the last couple weeks - I think my back had just been poked too many times (50+) and the muscle was weakened.  So anyway, I'm DONE.

8/2/2014 - Heard baby's heartbeat.  I don't think there's a sweeter sound in the world. <3  Still feeling tired and lacking energy, but very happy.

Weekend Recap

This past weekend was a bit of everything rolled into one busy weekend – chaos, laughter, love, frustration, happiness, and tears.  All in all, it was good and I was really sad to return to work today.  Especially since I won’t have another holiday until Thanksgiving… whaaaa.

Friday was my last day of summer hours (whaaaaa) so I worked a half day.  After that, W, my mom, and I grabbed lunch and did a bit of shopping.  W has been screaming while we’re out lately – it usually happens while we’re out eating or grocery shopping.  It’s not a tantrum type scream, but it is loud and embarrassing.  I’m assuming he does it for attention and telling him no, and that he needs to be quiet only makes him scream more.  We may be staying home for awhile.

Saturday was a very long day.  I had a doctor’s appointment.  Heard baby’s heartbeat, but otherwise it was pointless.  W came with and there was more screaming.  That was followed by breakfast at Panera (more screaming), grocery shopping at Mariano’s (more screaming), and even more shopping at Target.  Then it was time to head home to clean and complete a couple projects.  That night, we had a fantasy football draft party.  I had been looking forward to it and now, I have no idea why.  It was a complete disaster.  I won’t go into too much detail because I know in the grand scheme of things it won’t matter.  People are dealing with far worse.  But it was an absolute failure and our dog, Addie, was just plain awful.  She barked the entire night, chased the kids around and scared them.  I had never seen her like that.  I didn’t realize the kids were coming over so that definitely didn’t help, but I’m not sure what I would’ve done differently had I known.  It also didn’t help that people were continually coming up to me telling me that Addie was annoying and asking what was wrong with her.  As far as her being annoying – tell me something I didn’t already know.  And if I knew what was wrong, I’d do my best to fix it.  For some reason, the kids set her off and nonstop barking ensued.  The kids never stayed in one place (despite attempts at 2 movies), which added to the barking chaos and I was afraid to lock Addie in a room because when we had done so previously, she destroyed an expensive crate that fellow dog owners insisted she had to have (last time I listen to dog advice from anyone who doesn’t know my dog).  Having anything in our new house destroyed was not a risk I was willing to take.  And people could have left at any time.  We were doing a draft, but I think we could have continued on the computer or another way.  What probably bugs me most of all is I knew before the party that a few people didn’t like Addie and this only added fuel to their Addie hating fire.  What they don’t realize (and never will) is that Addie is actually one of the sweetest dogs.  She’s always by my side when I’m not feeling well.  She was at my side after my first IVF failed when I couldn’t stop crying.  For both of my pregnancies, she’s wanted to be extra close to me – knowing that something was different.  She’s incredibly smart and extremely loyal (a trait you can’t find in most humans).  She’s protective of W, A, and I, but only because she loves us that much.  And she puts up with W’s hitting her and throwing various objects at her.  I actually cried at the end of the night when everyone had finally gone home.  Now that it’s all done, we’ll know not to have any kids over.  And those who never liked Addie will continue to not come over (because Addie is here to stay) so I guess in that respect, nothing will really change.  No more parties any time soon.

Sunday was much better.  We went to church and Starbucks.  W let out a scream during mass so the two of us headed to the church lobby.  We headed back in to mass to receive communion and W spotted grandma way at the other end of the church.  She was helping as Eucharistic minister.  He continued to point and laugh at her, which was really cute. J  After that was Starbucks and then a relatively quiet day at home.  When W woke from his nap sometime after 3, A and I decided to take him to the pool on a whim.  It was our last chance since the pool was closing so we thought we’d try it.  W had a blast and I’m so glad we all went.  I loved watching him splash and play in the water.  He and A were so cute together and W loved every minute.  He even tripped and went underwater a couple times.  A was there to scoop him up, but W never panicked.  It was lots of fun and exactly what we needed after such a stressful Saturday.

Monday was pretty uneventful.  W loves my mom’s cats so I decided to take him to grandma’s house for a quick visit and some cat love.  I couldn’t stop laughing as W hugged and cuddled with my mom’s cat Mieko.  For some reason, Mieko totally loves W and put up with all the hugging grabbing and cuddles squeezing.  After that we headed home for play time, a family walk, and I made dinner.  A great end to the long weekend. J