20 weeks!

Half way there!!! And the flu.

19 weeks, 6 days pregnant!

It's been a rough couple of weeks. I have the flu! Bleh! Talk about miserable! I'm still coughing up a lung 6 days later. Bad, bad stuff. Makes me wish I would have gotten my flu shot. And right before Christmas! 5 days till Christmas and I haven't finished, actually barely started shopping. Oh well.

In other news baby GIRL is good! That's right, baby girl! We decided to find out the gender during our anatomy scan. Blown away. So HAPPY we're getting our little girl. I haven't done very well in the weight gain area. I'm not exactly working out  with the flu. Soon, hopefully soon. As soon as this congestion clears that is.


So around 16 weeks the dreaded PUPPS returned!! I pretty much wanted to die thinking of dealing with that horrific rash again and for more than half my pregnancy! So I dove head first into the remedies my midwife suggested and also some I found online. I started taking dandelion root caps, drinking a TON of water with lemon, hot water with lemon and honey in the morning, bathing daily in Grandpa's Pine Tar soap then lathering pure alo Vera on my skin right after. CLEARED after 7 days!! Miracle I tell you!!! I will continue with the above treatment for the rest of my pregnancy. Just incase.

Belly pic? I'll upload one later. When I dont feel like death. It's definitely poking out there! <3 10-12="" about="" gain="" i="" lbs.="" m......="" nbsp="" ok="" p="" that.="" weight="" with="">

14 Weeks 6 days

Okay, I've MADE myself decide to keep a pregnancy journal here on the blog. Because, well. It’s my last. Baby. :)




How far along: 14 weeks 6 days



Total weight gain: 4lbs Current weight 112, started at 108. (I started at 107 with Aden, so YAY for being at my pre pregnancy weight with the start of this new baby!



Maternity clothes: Not yet. I have been wearing my clothes from after I had Aden and went back to work. So it counts for sure. I can no longer button my jeans! I think it's time to go shopping this weekend...



Stretch marks: Not yet.



Sleep: Waking one a night to pee and several times to blow my nose. I've had a runny nose my entire pregnancy so far... yay me! Not.



Best moment of this week: My belly has popped out a bit. And James loves rubbing it already. :)



Miss anything: RUNNING!! I've tried to stay pretty active and I'm doing well so far, but I miss the heart pounding, sweat dripping work outs I had this last summer.



Movement: Not yet. I feel a heavy sensation very frequently though, mostly on my BLADDER. Get off.



Food cravings: Queso and chips and SOUP.



Anything making you queasy or sick: Greek yogurt.



Have you started to show yet: Yep. There's something in there...



Gender: Unknown. I've had dreams of it being a boy and girl. So who knows? :)



Labor signs: No.



Belly button in or out: In.



Wedding rings on or off: On. Let's hope it stays that way. With Aden it was off around 7 mos.



Happy or moody most of the time: Happy and sick. Stupid nasal congestion.



Looking forward to: Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family! I can’t wait to see everyone and chow down on the yummy food.

 

7 weeks 4 Days

Although I havent utitilized this blog in about ...2 years, I figure this next chapture in ours lives calls for some sort of written documentation. I'm pregnant. 7 weeks and 4 days to be exact. Sure we've been TTC for about 6 months, but the shock of the two pink lines was still disarming. The thoughts of my two miscarraiges come flooding back, however unwelcome I tell myself they are. It's still there, the panic and worry. I over analyis every sympotom or lack there of. Speaking of symptoms my current sympotoms are mild neasea that tends to become much more profound after eating. Eating a large meal nowdays is out of the question. I've only vomited in the morning while brushing my teeth, but have had a constant neausea most days that has me wanting to vomit. With Aden I was very neaseas if I had an empty stomach at all. It seems to be the opposite with this one. We havent made the news public yet...waiting till around week 10 or so... or until I see/ hear a heartbeat. James and I have decided the best route to go to acheive a natural vbac birth is in a free standing birth center with a midwife. My first appoinement with Dinah will be next week, Oct. 3rd. From what I understand the first appointment with a midwife will be much different than my former, typical OB visits. A typical OB prenatal initial visit would include an ultrasound to date the pregnancy. The midwife will go off my LMP. This unsettles me for one reason only. I wont get to hear the heart beat this time. It kills me. I need to see or hear it. But I know this is the best route for my baby and myself. I should be able to start hearing the heart beat at around 10 wks via doppler.

On having a two-year-old, daycare and future plans for siblings

I have a two-year-old! Aden turned two July 6th and I'm still amazed at how quickly our time has flown by since we welcomed him into our world. I'm a horrible mom because he hasn't had an official birthday party, yet. Uh oh. Really? Yes, we went to Galveston & Houston for some much needed time away, and then we had one of the most horrible weeks ever, when we put him in daycare for a week, therefore postponing any birthday celebrations.


Daycare...I always said I was never going to do it. All the stigmas that are attached to daycare had me feeling sick just thinking about placing my child in such a place for 10-12 hours a day! And my suspicions actually partially came true when we did decide to place him in one a couple of weeks ago. I picked a daycare in Forney, where we live, for one huge reason - it had web cams. I thought any place that had web cams, where I could watch him throughout the day AND had a pretty darn good curriculum was a win-win situation.

Not.so.much.

I feel bad when I think about it now. I should have taken more time to look at the surrounding daycares. A red flag should have popped up when the director acted nervous and unsure of herself during our tour. All and all? The place was shady. On the "web cam", which was kind of a joke as the picture was horrible and you could barely tell the kids apart, I saw Aden standing around for most of the day. Lost. Being a new toddler in the class you would think the teacher would welcome him into the class and make sure he felt apart of the group. Didn't happen. Another thing? They didn't offer him water. At all. As everyone knows, he's a breastfed baby, still is. He doesn't like cows milk, never has, probably never will. He would come home thirsty beyond belief. It didn't take more than picking him up that last Friday and seeing he had dried snot on his face along with a bite make on his back and I didn't bring him back.

So, the search was on once again. This time I visited every place in Forney. Some were nice, others were scary, and we put down our Registration fee, to hold our spot, on a brand new private school that just opened 6 months ago. I was impressed with the "feel" of the center, it has homey and the kids seemed happy. I was also impressed with the owner and director, she listened to all of our concerns and made us feel very confident that Aden would be receiving the attention he deserves as well as being exposed to their awesome, "award winning," curriculum. And at the end of the day that's what I know he needs. A head start in school with a good curriculum, as well as the Socialization he'll receive from being around the other kids. It's pretty neat to think that the kids he'll being going to daycare (private school) with, are the same kids he'll be going to actual school with. That's why I'm so hell-bent on staying in Forney and giving Aden the stability he needs throughout his youth. I didn't have it in my later youth and that makes me realize just how important it is for Aden to have.

I've been mulling over the thought of another child. For months actually and I just can’t come up with a way to make it work right now. In three years...when I'm....30, James and I will re-visit the idea and make a final decision then. I'm still young and 30 isn't too late of an age to become a mother of two. I get frustrated with working full time and dealing with all the stress that comes along with having a toddler that sometimes I proclaim that I'm not having anymore children! But, the truth is- I'd like to have one more baby. I'd love to be a family of four. Just as long as we're able to live happily with that decision should we decide to have another. I don't want to make life impossible for us in the process. I'd rather have the freedom to do nice things with Aden than to struggle horribly should we have another and the timing isn't just right. So, to that end, the answer is: "We will see".

Being a family of three is just peachy for now!

P.S. I'm still at 112 and totally rockin steady at it. I still want to get to 105 here within the next 30 days. Every time I look in the mirror.. I'M LOVING IT!!! After two years of baby weight it's FINALLY coming off and I'm getting my former (kinda) body back.

A vacation in pictures!

The Man That Loves Em

This dude.. Totally rocks. Did I ever have any doubt that he would be such an amazing father? Nope. It's in him... It's in him down to his very  bones. The thing about my husband? - he loves hard and with all he has. I remember when I was pregnant how he'd talk to Aden and rub on my belly.  At night he'd put his arm around my huge belly and Aden always seemed to give him a little kick..maybe saying: "Get the hell off me" or "Hey, Dad". I'd say they had their own little bond going on before Aden was even born.

Oh, when Aden was born, was there ever a happier father than James? I think not. He thought he was all special and shit because he got to hold him first due to that damned c-section. Obviously, totally my right to hold the baby first! But, at that moment, I couldn't be happier that James finally got to feel what it was like to be so close to that little miracle. Love, isn't a strong enough word.

We were both so very happy and proud that we made this little person 100 % out our love for each other. Just like it was James' turn to hold the baby first, Father's Day is his time to be cherished for what he is, a wonderful, amazing, caring and nurturing Father.

I think I can speak for both Aden and myself, when I say, thank you for everything! You're the worlds best daddy and we love you & appreciate you so much for what you do and who you are to us everyday.

I remember when we came home from the hospital, I wasn't able to do much and was in a great deal of pain from the c-section. James did everything. He changed ALL of Aden's diapers, he handed Aden to me to nurse when he was hungry, then took him back to burp him. He'd clean up the house and make the meals too. He'd walk him around the apartment, bouncing him and talking softly when Aden was fussy.

Now, things haven't changed much at all.

 He still gets up every Saturday & Sunday and takes Aden in the living room to watch cartoons, while letting me sleep in. A trade off, since I've always been the one to get up at night with Aden (Yes, even now at almost 2 yrs old) and let's face it, I'm the only one with the Tit-Ta's so James is no help in that regard. Not unless Aden wants "hairy titty" as James would call it.

So, THANK YOU to the dude, that is a totally awesome father, even after working all week and sometimes coasting on 4 or 5 hrs of sleep. He still makes time to tickle some ribs, play outside, ride the horses, mow the lawn or kick back and watch Monsters for the 1020140th time with his Bubbaloo.

Happy Father's Day and keep on rockin daddy, we love you!