29 Weeks

29 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: At the doctor's office on Thurs. I was up 24.  I think I'm up about 25 today.  I have had no trouble making up for the lack of weight gain the first 20 weeks.  Ha!

Size of Baby: Our baby is about the size of an acorn squash - approximately 15.2 to 16.7 inches long and weighs about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds.  Getting bigger (and so am I)!

Maternity Clothes: Mostly all maternity.  However, jeans are becoming less comfortable to wear.  They are more restricting and I'd rather be in my velour pants or pajama pants, so that's what I'm wearing the most these days.
 
Sleep: Still not great, still tired.  Currently listening to firework, so I'm sure it will be a late night tonight.

Movement: She is a mover just like her big brother was.

Cravings/Aversions:  Craving sweets - probably what's helping me add the weight - oops!
 
What I Miss: Other than sleep I'm not really sure there's anything.  Occasionally, when others have drinks I may slightly wish I could have a margarita or lemon drop martini, but that's about it.
 
Gender: It's a girl!

Mood: Last night the nesting really hit me and I'm freaking out a little bit over all that is to be done before her arrival.

Milestones: I'm hoping that since I didn't hear anything Friday or today that it means I passed my glucose test.  I still won't feel 100% confident until the end of the week, but they said no news is good news, so I'm praying for no news :)
 
Symptoms/Medical Concerns: Still having a lot of pain in my hips/pelvis - I asked the doctor and she said it's from the bones separating in that area.  Last Thursday was REALLY bad and at one point wasn't sure I could walk.  Thankfully it's been better since then and I've been using a back support belt that my mom had only using it around my hips and it seems to be helping some. My restless leg is still being especially annoying and I had my first middle of the night leg cramp this weekend. Had those with Logan too - not fun!   I'm also staring to have swelling in my legs/ankles on and off.  Everything else is the same - Lots of Braxton Hicks, some nausea, little sleep, and some heartburn (which has increased lately, but still not bad).

Differences From Past Pregnancy:  I did not have the hip/pelvis pain with Logan.  I'm also pretty sure I was not this big.

What I Look Forward To: All that this year has in store for us.  I cannot believe the year our DAUGHTER will be born is here.  So excited!  Happy New Year!! 

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: I'm just so thankful for all of our family. They love us and Logan so much and I know our sweet girl will be well loved as well.  I just cannot imagine doing this without their love and support.  I am thankful everyday to call them my family - those who have been my family my entire life and those that I acquired when I married Brandon. We are SO blessed and I am so thankful!

I forgot about a pic again, but my mother-in-law took a pic this weekend of my sister-in-law and I and I'm sure that one would work, so I will see about getting it and updating this :)  I know I said I might update last week and never did, but this time there's actually a picture that exists so hopefully it will be done :)

28 Weeks

28 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: It appears I'm up 22-23 pounds.

Size of Baby: Our baby is about the size of an eggplant - approximately 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Running out of regular shirts that fit and even some of my maternity shirts are already seeming short.  I also only have 2 long sleeved maternity shirts...so I guess I'm going to have to start doing laundry often and layering for those colder days.  I have nothing Christmasy to wear tomorrow either...sorta bummed about that, but didn't plan ahead well enough.  Oh well!
 
Sleep: The past few nights have been especially bad.  A tired momma makes an emotional momma and with the added stress of the season, extra emotions is not exactly fun.

Movement: She is a mover just like her big brother was.

Cravings/Aversions:  Christmas breakfast tomorrow!! Woohoo!!
 
What I Miss: Just sleep.
 
Gender: It's a girl!

Mood: A little stressed trying to finish everything up by tomorrow, but come tomorrow I'll be ready to just relax and enjoy time with family :)

Milestones: I'm officially in my 3rd trimester.  How crazy!  I can't believe we're only 12 weeks (give or take a few days) from meeting our sweet little girl.
 
Symptoms/Medical Concerns: Still having a lot of pain in my hips/pelvis and my restless leg has been especially annoying lately.  Everything else is the same - Lots of Braxton Hicks, some nausea, little sleep, some hearburn and restless leg.

Differences From Past Pregnancy:  I wish a difference that I could add would be that I was actually making progress and/or done with nursery stuff since we're now getting closer, but unfortunately not.  It is a goal of mine though to have that be different and to have the nursery finished BEFORE she arrives :)

What I Look Forward To: Christmas tomorrow with family!  It's crazy that it's already here, and it's crazy that this is our last Christmas as a family of 3.  Logan is getting older and I think he'll really enjoy this year even though he still doesn't quite understand everything.  It's going to be fun and I'm super excited for tomorrow to get here :)

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: On Thursday I will have my glucose test.  The drink that everyone makes a big deal about doesn't bother me, I just hate having blood drawn.  Brandon is going with me though, so that is good. I'm also a little concerned I might fail this time.  I feel like sugar has affected me differently this pregnancy and I'm hoping it's not because I have gestational diabetes.  I'm not sure I can handle all the pricking/blood/testing that goes along with it.  Please pray I pass! :)

No pic today, but I might come back and edit it tomorrow with a Christmas day pic since I will hopefully look presentable tomorrow :)

27 Weeks

27 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: I think I'm up about 21 pounds...uh yikes!  Like 4-5 from last week.  Ha!

Size of Baby: Our baby is about the size of a rutabaga - approximately 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Still a mix
 
Sleep: I'm guessing I'm not getting any more sleep for the rest of my life.  Ha!

Movement: She is a mover just like her big brother was.

Cravings/Aversions:  Chocolate and I'm also getting really excited about my mom's breakfast casserole that she makes every Christmas.  One more week!  The chicken spaghetti and olive garden cravings have been coming back too.
 
What I Miss: Just sleep.
 
Gender: It's a girl!

Mood: Not the greatest.  I have a recovering sick kiddo and today I tried to do too much causing lots of meltdowns almost resulting in one of my own.

Milestones: I don't know...I wish I had some name updates, or room updates, or something, but I just don't :-/
 
Symptoms/Medical Concerns: I'm having a lot of pain in my hips/pelvis that I'm guessing maybe are due to picking up my 31 pound sweet little boy too much.  Everything else is the same - Lots of Braxton Hicks, some nausea, little sleep, some hearburn and restless leg.

Differences From Past Pregnancy:  I don't remember having so much pain this early on with Logan.  Not sure if it's because this is not my first pregnancy and things may not be as tight/strong as they were, or because I'm 2 years older, or just because I sometimes have to lift my sweet 31 pound child :)  Maybe it's all of the above.

What I Look Forward To: Getting past the craziness that comes before Christmas and getting to the actual day of Christmas so we can enjoy time with family.

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: Same - Trying not to stress about all that is going on in the next few weeks.

Here's a pic from Saturday...

Here's a pic from around the same time with Logan.  I think I look bigger this time..

26 Weeks

26 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: On the doctor's scale last Thurs. I was up 16 lbs.  I'm sure I'm up at least another pound, but I don't feel like getting up and weighing myself at the moment.

Size of Baby: Our baby is about the size of a head of lettuce - approximately 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Still a mix
 
Sleep: Same - not good.  I'm guessing I'm not getting any more sleep for the rest of my life.  Ha!

Movement: She is a mover just like her big brother was.

Cravings/Aversions:  Chocolate and I'm also getting really excited about my mom's breakfast casserole that she makes every Christmas.  Too bad I still have to wait 2 weeks.
 
What I Miss: Just sleep.
 
Gender: It's a girl!

Mood: A little worn out, especially thinking about another busy week.

Milestones: I don't know...I wish I had some name updates, or room updates, or something, but I just don't :-/
 
Symptoms/Medical Concerns: Swelling & heartburn has been better since being home.  Everything else is the same - Lots of Braxton Hicks, some nausea, little sleep, and restless leg.  No major concerns.

Differences From Past Pregnancy:  I feel a lot larger this time around than with Logan.  Whether I am or not, I don't know, but it just feels different this time.

What I Look Forward To: Getting past the craziness that comes before Christmas and getting to the actual day of Christmas so we can enjoy time with family.

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: Same - Trying not to stress about all that is going on in the next few weeks.

No pic this week, sorry!

25 Weeks

25 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: I think am up around 15 pounds.  I have an appointment tomorrow so I will find out for sure then :)

Size of Baby: Our baby is about the size of a cauliflower - approximately 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Still a mix
 
Sleep: Same - not good.

Movement: She is a mover just like her big brother was.

Cravings/Aversions:  I don't think I'm having any right now.
 
What I Miss: Just sleep.
 
Gender: It's a girl!

Mood: A little stressed as we have a packed week this week.

Milestones: I can't think of any.  We bought a comforter for Logan to use once we put him in his big boy bed, but that isn't exactly a milestone for the pregnancy.  We're just beginning the process of accepting that our baby is more of a big boy than a baby.
 
Symptoms/Medical Concerns: I have started having some swelling in my ankles.  I'm not sure if it's from the travel this weekend or if it will be here to stay.  I've also had increased in frequency of the heartburn.  Fortunately the intensity is not increasing and it's very managable.  Had a few contractions that were a little painful this weekend, but they didn't last so I'm guessing it probably had to do with the travel.  Eveything else is the same - Lots of Braxton Hicks, some nausea, little sleep, and restless leg.  No major concerns.

Differences From Past Pregnancy:  I can't think of anything right now.  I really wish I had documented things when I was pregnant with Logan.

What I Look Forward To: Logan is turning 2 on Friday (not sure I'm looking forward to that - he's supposed to be my baby! Ha!) and his party will be Saturday morning.  We're doing only family and keeping it super simple, but I'm excited to get to have time with family celebrating our sweet boy.

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: Same - Trying not to stress about all that is going on in the next few weeks.

Here's a picture Brandon took before our date night Saturday in San Antonio.  Lighting isn't great, and we didn't have our good camera, but it's a picture none the less.  My belly is getting quite large, but I will admit I love looking very pregnant :)

Please Pray!

I do not know this family personally, but have followed her blog for a few years now.  Cari, the writer of the blog, has a gift with words and has provided great encouragement to me as I've followed her story.  They desperately need your prayers right now.  Cari's husband, Andy, just had his SECOND brain tumor removed yesterday (yes you read that right, 2nd). Currently, things are not looking great.  You can read about it here & here.

Their family has been through so much over the past few years (loss of their daughter, 1st brain tumor, job losses, etc.) and my heart just breaks for them as they deal with another trial.  If you want to know a little more about their whole story, read this.  Please pray for healing, strength, comfort & wisdom as they begin yet another difficult chapter of their lives. I don't know her personally, but so wish I could give her a great big hug.  If you want to offer her encouragement as well, feel free to comment on her blog and let her know you are praying for them.

24 Weeks

24 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: I think I may have gained about 4-5 pounds over the last week, but can you blame me? It was Thanksgiving after all ;-)  So that would put me at a total of around 14 pounds up.

Size of Baby: Our baby is about the size of a cantaloupe - approximately 10.5 to 11.8 inches and about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces.

Maternity Clothes: Same - all maternity pants, still wearing some regular shirts, but they are starting to get shorter, so I'm starting to wear more maternity shirts as well.

Sleep: Same - not good.

Movement: Yep - I think she already loves Aggie football because she was very active while we were at the game on Saturday.  Love it so much :)

Cravings/Aversions:  Ate lots of wonderful Thanksgiving food this week and it was DELICIOUS!  I only had 1 piece of pumpkin pie though, and I'm a little bit sad about that.  But I probably don't need more anyway ;-)  I'm still having random cravings for Olive garden salad and bread sticks.
 
What I Miss: Just sleep.
 
Gender: It's a girl!

Mood: Same - Pretty good, mostly just tired.  No surprise.

Milestones: Making it to 24 weeks.  The baby is now at a point that with medical technology, etc. that should the baby need to come early there is a chance of surviving outside the womb.  That definitely provides a little relief in the anxiety department.
 
Symptoms/Medical Concerns: Same - Lots of Braxton Hicks, some nausea (mostly in the mid morning & late night), little sleep, restless leg, and some heartburn.  No major concerns.

Differences From Past Pregnancy: I didn't really have a whole lot of cravings when I was pregnant with Logan, other than ice cream, so I'd say the fact that I'm having some this time is different.

What I Look Forward To: This weekend I am going to have a weekend away with the hubby.  We are going to the Family Life, Weekend to Remember Conference.  I've heard wonderful things about it for years and this summer we booked it.  It's in San Antonio on the Riverwalk, and I'm really excited!

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: Trying not to stress about all that is going on in the next few weeks.

No pic of me this week, but since there hasn't been too much about Logan lately, I have to share this beautiful picture my mother-in-law took of Logan this weekend.  So sweet!  Love this boy so much!!

23 Weeks

23 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: I think 9-10 pounds up.

Size of Baby: Our baby is about the size of a grapefruit - approximately 10.5 to 11.8 inches and about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants, still wearing some regular shirts, but they are starting to get shorter, so I'm starting to wear more maternity shirts as well.

Sleep: I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but still terrible.  Some days I'm not really sure how I manage to be honest.

Movement: Yep - it's wonderful :)

Cravings/Aversions: I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for my bible study group this past week and my mom made me apple pie for my birthday so it was a good week!!  I've been having random cravings for Olive garden salad and bread sticks.  It's not constant, but at random times I want it - not sure I'll be doing anything about that craving though as usually when I want it, I'm not willing/able to get it.
 
What I Miss: Sleep.
 
Gender: It's a girl! I'm still trying to process that.  Sometimes it still feels like we don't know what we're having and I have to remind myself.  I need to get moving on planning her nursery though!

Mood: Pretty good, mostly just tired.  No surprise.

Milestones: None that I can think of right now.  Just making it through each day is a milestone I guess :)
 
Symptoms/Medical Concerns: Same - Lots of Braxton Hicks, some nausea (mostly in the mid morning & late night), little sleep, restless leg, and some heartburn.  No major concerns.

Differences From Past Pregnancy: I didn't really have a whole lot of cravings when I was pregnant with Logan, other than ice cream, so I'd say the fact that I'm having some this time is different.

What I Look Forward To: Same - Making it to 24 weeks.  I know I'm crazy, but the anxiety of loss is hard.  Making it to 24 weeks means that should the baby need to come early, there is the possibility of surviving outside the womb.  Thank goodness for modern medicine!

Also looking forward to taking some family pics on the 15th.  My friend that regularly does them isn't available, so I'm a little nervous about our new person since I don't know her, but I'll just be glad to have anything at this point to capture our family just as it is right now :) 

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: Still trying to figure out a name...haven't really thought too much about it though.  I'm really hoping to have one before she arrives though :)  I also really need to get moving on cleaning out the bedroom that will be hers.  There's so much going on this time of the year though, it's hard.  We've got Thanksgiving, then going out of town the following weekend, then Logan's b-day the next weekend, we're doing family pictures the following Saturday and then it's Christmas!  Crazy!!

This was taken Saturday before I went to a shower for my SIL, Meredith, and their sweet baby girl, Claire.

22 Weeks

22 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: At my appointment on Wednesday I was up 8 pounds.  I think I might already be up another since then.  Ha!

Size of Baby: Our baby is about the size of a papaya - approximately 10.5 to 11.8 inches and weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces.  At my ultrasound last week, she measured about a pound (16 oz).

Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants, but wearing a mix of regular & maternity shirts.

Sleep: Still bad - have had a couple really rough nights the past week.  One where I woke up at 2:30am and didn't sleep the rest of the night.  This is definitely worse than when I had a newborn...hoping it gets better soon.

Movement: Yes - lots.  I love it - it's so reassuring that our sweet baby is ok.  Baby is moving as I'm typing this.

Cravings/Aversions: My chicken & dumplings craving has been taken care of for the time being and my mom is making me an apple pie for my birthday on Thursday, so I'm super excited about that.  I've also been wanting some of my friend Erica's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, so I think I'm going to make them for my bible study group on Wednesday.  I've also been wanting either my friend Sunny's chicken spaghetti or The Pioneer Woman's as both are similar but very delicious :)  I have both recipes (I think) so if the craving gets bad enough I'll have to make some.

Aversions - I'm sick of eating out.  Since I was sick for so long I wasn't able to do a whole lot of cooking, so we often picked food up or ate out.  Not so good on the pocket book, but there wasn't a whole lot of other options at the time.  So glad I can cook again, but I don't enjoy the cleaning up after :(
 
What I Miss: Sleep.
 
Gender: It's a girl! Our world is about to drastically change.  I went to Target the other day to get a couple things and started to pass the baby girl section.  I'm so used to looking over at the close, thinking oh how cute they all are, then moving on.  Let's just say it was a whole lot harder this time to move on, but I was good and kept going.  Ha!

Mood: Pretty good, mostly just tired.

Milestones: Knowing it's a girl so we can start working on names.  I'm hoping to have a name this time BEFORE she is born :)
 
Symptoms/Medical Concerns: Lots of Braxton Hicks, but not so many that my doctor has any concern.  Still having some nausea, little sleep, restless leg, and some heartburn.  No major concerns.

Differences From Past Pregnancy: I think I'm bigger than I was last pregnancy, but I'm pretty sure that's common when you've been pregnant before.

What I Look Forward To: Making it to 24 weeks.  I know I'm crazy, but the anxiety of loss is hard.  Making it to 24 weeks means that should the baby need to come early, there is the possibility of surviving outside the womb.  Thank goodness for modern medicine!

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: Taking name suggestions, but we probably won't be sharing our top name choices until we've made a final decision.  I had a really hard time with deciding last time and I think it's partially because we had too much input when we shared the names we had narrowed it down to and it made me think too much about what other people thought rather than on what I liked/wanted.

Also, no picture again this week - I was going to get one today and the day did not go according to plan...hopefully next week.

It's a...

beautiful, healthy baby girl!

We are, of course, thrilled and excited, but yet part of me can't help but be a little bit sad for Logan.  I love how close Brandon & his brother are, and I really want that for Logan.  I know brothers and sisters can be just as close, so that is my hope and prayer that these two siblings will love each other and hopefully one day be really close.

Don't get me wrong though.  I'm totally excited about bows and flowers and butterflies and ruffles and all things girly.  I know everyone has already said get ready for lots of pink, but I'm partial to purple, so I'm thinking we'll have a lot more purple in this house than pink ;-)

21 Weeks

21 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: I'm guess 8-9 pounds, but will know for sure on Wednesday.  It's amazing how quickly you can put on weight when you can actually eat.  Ha! :)

Size of Baby: Our baby is about the size of a pomegranate - approximately 10.5 inches and about 12.7 ounces.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants, but wearing a mix of regular & maternity shirts.

Sleep: No good...

Movement: Yes - lots.  The little one was VERY active during the whole A&M game.  I am thinking he/she is going to be a big Aggie fan ;-)

Cravings/Aversions: Still craving chicken & dumplings, and apple pie, but I can now add pumpkin chocolate chip cookies too.  Sunday evening my parents had Logan so Brandon & I could get some stuff ready for a garage sale that we are hopefully going to have, so I also decided to make myself some chicken & dumplings during that time as well.  Took me way longer than I thought, but they were sooo worth it and I ate way more than I should have.  I had some more for lunch today.  Hopefully this will curb that craving because I'm not sure I want to spend that much time making them again in the near future.
 
What I Miss: Sleep.
 
Gender: We find out on Wednesday - that is just 2 days away!!

Mood: Pretty good, mostly just tired.

Milestones: Made it to 21 weeks which is when I stopped feeling nauseous with Logan.  There were days I thought I'd never make it this far if I had to be sick this long again.

 
Medical Concerns: None that I know of, but still having anxiety about every little pain, contraction, weird feeling, etc.  I'm glad we have the ultrasound on Wednesday, so please pray it is a good report so maybe some of my anxiety will be eased.

Differences From Past Pregnancy: At this point in my pregnancy with Logan I was nausea free and feeling pretty good all around.  I'm still having some nausea, but it is WAY better than it was.  I'm starting to have it some in the morning which before I wasn't having a whole lot in the morning, but once it goes away it doesn't usually come back until the later evening.  It's also not as severe and debilitating, so I'm thankful for that.  I have also forgotten to post that I've been having restless leg syndrome this pregnancy.  I don't remember having that with Logan.  I had leg cramps with Logan, so I'm hoping that I don't get those as well :)


What I Look Forward To: Finding out on Wednesday what we're having.  Also hoping that I continue to have some good days, etc. so I can start knocking things off my "nesting" to-do list.

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: Currently having some heartburn.  Hoping it doesn't turn into a regular thing.  Ha!

Also, no picture this week - I forgot and am not camera ready today :)

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch on Monday.  To say Logan had a great time would be an understatement.  We were there for probably close to an hour and he still had a meltdown when it was time to leave.  He also asked me numerous times throughout the day to go back to the pumpkin patch.

He would NOT look at the camera though.  He was not interested is posing for his Momma.  Ha! I did get a few of his "cheesy" smiles though.

20 Weeks

20 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: I hate not having a digital scale, so I'm going to have to guess, but I think I may be up 4-5 pounds.  Depending on how I stand on the scale it varies by a pound or so.

Size of Baby: Our baby is about the size of a banana.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants, but still wearing mostly regular shirts.

Sleep: Still awful. Please pray I can start getting some sleep.  I really need some energy.

Movement: Yes, and I love it!  Most of the time when I'm still, I'll feel some for a least a little bit.

Cravings/Aversions: My sweet mother-in-law made me some chicken & dumplings on Monday and they everything I had hoped for...only problem is I want more!  I may attempt making them myself on a day I'm feeling well.  Still craving my mom's apple pie as well, but my b-day is just a couple weeks away, so I'm hoping for that then :)
 
What I Miss: Same as last week - I miss feeling rested and not nauseous.

Gender: We find out on November 7th - that is just 9 days away!!

Mood: It varies, but isn't that normal for a pregnant woman? Ha :)

Milestones: Brandon got to feel the baby kick last week. And, we are half way there :)
 
Medical Concerns: None that I know of, but still having anxiety about every little pain, contraction, weird feeling, etc.

Differences From Past Pregnancy: The tiredness seems so much more this pregnancy.  I've always had sleep issues, so I was very used to being tired when I was pregnant with Logan and it did not really affect me.  Once I quit working, the relief of the stress from my job significantly improved my sleep and restfulness, so I'm wondering how I ever functioned like this before.

What I Look Forward To: November 7th - finding out if we are having a boy or girl and hopeful that the 2nd half of my pregnancy will be a little easier.  It was with Logan, so I'm hoping that proves the same here.  Ready to start knocking things off my "nesting" to-do list.

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: This didn't happen last week, but I had forgotten about it, and want to document it somewhere.  We have told Logan that there is a tiny baby in Mommy's tummy and he understands that to the extent that a 22 month old can, but one day when we were talking about it, he asked if he could hold the baby.  I told him that when the baby was bigger and out of Mommy's tummy he could, but he would have to use both hands.  Multiple times since then he has told me he is going to hold the baby with both hands and he actually holds out both hands and shows me.  I just think it's the sweetest thing :)

Here's an updated picture from yesterday...

I'm not facing the same way, but here's a picture of me at 19 1/2 weeks with Logan....

It's hard to compare, but I think I'm a little bigger this time around than I was with Logan.  I think that's pretty normal though.

My Little Baker

Today, I got over my fears of a disaster in the kitchen and let Logan help me bake some cinnamon muffins.  We only did a mix, and I had everything ready to just pour in and mix, but he did so well!  I was so impressed and so proud of him.  It was not the mess/disaster I had envisioned in my head :)

 Yes, I realize he is not dressed, but the kid was hot when we got home today from "trick or treating" with our MOPS group at an assisted living facility, so he stripped down and did not want to put anything else on.

 He was so proud of his "meatloaf" - not sure why he kept calling it that even though I told him they were muffins.  Ha!

 Admiring his handiwork after we took it out of the oven :)

 About to enjoy the fruits of his labor :)

 I think he likes it!

Daddy happened to walk in at this point, and he shared with Daddy.  How sweet!

Anyone There??

So I haven't posted since JUNE!! Yep, terrible.  I know.  Hopefully one day I will get around to going back and updating what I missed, but for now, I'm just going to start where I'm at.

Pregnancy has a way of preventing me from doing the things I normally am capable of doing.  Oh yeah, I guess I haven't mentioned I'm pregnant.  Consider this my announcement.  Ha!

I'm 19 weeks, and I can hardly believe we're almost half way.  At the same time though, I thought this point would never get here considering I've been sick since week 5.

When I was pregnant with Logan, I didn't do weekly updates or keep a journal of all the changes that go along with pregnancy, and I wish I had.  So...I'm going to attempt to do that this time.  Here goes...

19 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: As of my 16 week appointment, I had not gained any weight.  I thought I had gained a pound but realized I had lost a pound from my 8 to 12 week appointment, so really I just gained that one back.  I do however think I've gained maybe a couple pounds since then.  My scale at home is not digital so it can be difficult to tell.

Size of Baby: According to The Bump, our baby is about the size of a mango.

Maternity Clothes: I've been wearing maternity pants since long before I truly needed them, but since I already had them this pregnancy, and they are so comfy, I pulled them out the moment there was any tightness in my regular ones :)

Sleep: Terrible if I'm completely honest.

Movement: Quite a bit. I'm pretty sure this time around I felt my first kick between 12-13 weeks, but the last few weeks I've definitely been feeling a lot of movement. Not to the point yet though that Brandon can feel it, but it should be soon! I'm loving it!

Cravings/Aversions: I'm mostly having aversions, but they aren't specific. It changes moment to moment. I did have a chicken aversion for a little while though. Oh and things with a strong onion flavor. As for cravings, I've been craving chicken & dumplings for a little while (I did with Logan too), but a few nights ago a friend posted on FB a homemade apple pie and that made me start craving my Mom's apple pie (will have to ask for this for my B-day in a few weeks if not sooner ;-) Sound ok, Mom? :) ). I haven't had a whole lot of other cravings besides that. I would say pizza type meals and mint oreos have been something I have been able to eat more consistently than other foods.

What I Miss: I've had a few instances when I wished I could have a lemon drop martini. I also miss feeling rested and not nauseous.

Gender: We find out on November 7th. I cannot wait! Logan will be 23 months that day and we'll find out if he'll be having a baby brother or sister. Lots to celebrate :)

Mood: It varies, but isn't that normal for a pregnant woman? Ha :)

Milestones: Ummm...well since I didn't start this sooner, I guess I can count the movement for this milestone since he/she is moving a lot more recently.

Medical Concerns: I had a lot of concerns prior to my last appointment (lack of weight gain, had some light headedness, headaches, felt like I was already experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, etc.) but fortunately, my doctor was not concerned at all and said those can all be normal. She checked the heartbeat and all was great there. She just told me to try to keep up the small frequent meals to make sure I'm getting enough to take care of me, and rest when I can. I felt a lot better, but still have some anxieties that I just can't shake, but I'm praying and hoping that all is well. I'm sure I'll feel better after the ultrasound assuming all goes well with that.

Differences From Past Pregnancy: I am going to document stuff going back to the beginning since I didn't start this until just now. I started getting sick at 5 weeks with this pregnancy & it was 7 with Logan. Medicine didn't help with Logan and I threw up once day until 21 weeks. I feel like the nausea has been worse this time, and medicine has helped with the nausea some, but has stopped me from throwing up this time. I also have been super sensitive to smells. We've changed hand soaps, deodorants, body wash, etc. I can't make my cookies because the smell of them (particularly the icing) makes me sick. I can't use my crock pot, and the dogs of course smell terrible to me. With Logan, I was only sensitive to freezer smells (couldn't eat anything out of my freezer) and the dogs. I have felt movement a lot earlier this time. I don't remember exactly when I felt the first movement with Logan, but I'm thinking it was around either 16 or 19 weeks. I know that's weird, but those are the two numbers that come to mind and I really can't remember.  I'm pretty sure this time around I felt my first kick between 12-13 weeks, then much more consisent movement around 16-17 weeks.

What I Look Forward To: November 7th - finding out if we are having a boy or girl so I can start thinking more seriously about names. Brandon & I can't seem to really focus on it without knowing what it is. I really want to have a name decided upon PRIOR to delivery :) I'm also looking forward to feeling less nauseous and less tired so I can start completing all the stuff on my "nesting" to do list :)

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: I am super thankful and grateful for this sweet baby growing inside me. I really do love being pregnant even though the nausea at times can seem so overwhelming. Pregnancy is such a gift and something I do my very best not to take for granted. I haven't shared this with a whole lot of people because it was a very emotional time for me and I was not ready to share at the time, but in January, we had a miscarriage. It was very early, but nonetheless painful physically and emotionally. I know God knows what is best for us and for whatever reason He felt that that was not the timing for us and that was not the child for us to keep. It was a little difficult in September when we would have been due (it was actually Brandon's birthday), but having this pregnancy definitely made it easier to deal with knowing that we should have had a baby in our arms already. Having had the miscarriage though, I've had a lot more anxiety this time around. I thought I was doing better after our 8 week ultrasound when we got to see the baby and hear the heartbeat because we never made it to that with our pregnancy in January. Then a couple weeks after the fears returned. It is my hope and prayer that I will be able to meet this baby.  I want to experience all that I've experience with Logan with the new baby. I try to remind myself that no matter what happens with this pregnancy, God has us in His hands and He will help us through it.

Here's a baby bump pic from 17 1/2 weeks.

Oh yeah, and I cut 12 inches off my hair about a month ago...so if you haven't seen me in a while this picture might be shocking. Ha!

And, since I haven't posted about Logan in FOREVER, here's a pic my mother-in-law took this weekend. Isn't he just the cutest??