Month: January 2017

Dear Babes,

Not a whole lot new going on this week. Cross my fingers, I’m starting to feel better. I’m still gagging, but having better success in controlling it and fewer runs to the bathroom. I haven’t gotten the surge of energy that the second trimester brings, but I guess I’m only two weeks in so it could still be on its way. I’m not sleepy tired, but just don’t have a lot of energy and get winded VERY easy (like sometimes I need to rest after I walk up our stairs). This also could be a symptom of having a cold. Other pregnancy symptoms….increase in nasal congestion. I think I’ve had a running nose since November and just lots of drainage, which does not help with the gagging.

Things at work and at home have been pretty uneventful. This past weekend, Mom, Dad and William all had some pretty nasty colds so we spent a lot of time relaxing inside.

You’re big sister is very protective of you. She tells William he needs to be careful of my belly when he is trying to wrestle or when he wants to be picked up because there is a baby in there. She is also very inquisitive about you: How big are you?, Where is the baby going to sleep? How does she come out of your belly? Is she going to be able to talk when she comes out? What are we going to name her? She continues to insist you are a girl and told me she would like to call you Caitlin because there is a girl train on Thomas that is really really long.

We still haven’t made a decision if we’re going to find out your gender or not. I continue to go back and forth. I just need to make a decision and move on. I’m spending way to much time thinking and analyzing this decision which tells me I need to get some more hobbies because it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

No major changes in the bump, at least in my opinion. It is kind of there, but I’m still able to hide it pretty well at work as it just looks fat. This is such a hard stage and am getting ready for the belly to ‘pop’. I’m skipping a photo this week as it is closer to the 17 week mark and am just going to take one for next week.

Love,

Mama

Dear William,

This has been a fun month with you and your comedic personality shines brighter and brighter every day. You love to laugh and make others laugh-even though you look pretty serious and like to give people the stink eye.

You love, love to be tickled, tackled, chased and just generally rough house. After you are tickled, you like to announce it ‘Mama tittle (tickle) me’ or ‘Daddy Silly. Daddy tickle’. You love to fall off the couch and then laugh, have pillows thrown at you, or walk around with blankets or baskets on your head. If I say, ‘I’m gonna get you’; you run away like a crazy drunk laughing your head off. When you do something that makes Daddy or I laugh, you say ‘show sister’ and you love to make her laugh. After you fall down (off the couch, or while dancing or while being chased) you look up at me and say ‘I’m oh-tay’ between gasps of giggles. It is pretty hard for Daddy and I not to have a smile plastered across our face when we’re home with you as you’re always making us laugh.

You’ve always had a special bond with your daddy, but this month you truly became his shadow. You want to be wherever he is. If he is downstairs, you’ll stand and bang at the door and say ‘See MY daddy’. When I pick you up from school, you run to the door and say ‘See MY Daddy’. While Daddy is outside plowing the snow on the driveway, you stand at the window and just watch him. If he goes out of sight, you run to find me and say ‘Where MY Daddy go?’ You love to just snuggle with him while watching TV. You’ll regularly tell me ‘I’m watching Footbol with MY Daddy’. The capitalized MY is not a mistake, you always call out that he is yours and and emphasize the ‘MY’ when you’re talking about him. After putting the Christmas decorations away, daddy has put together several different elaborate train setups for you and you are in heaven. You love to play with them (particularly the pieces that make noise) and will create trains that are 10+ cars long and lay down and just push them back and forth. Upon finishing breakfast, you regularly tell me, ‘I go play trains’. Occasionally, you’ll ask Daddy or I to play with you, but yell at us when we touch anything so it really is more that you just want us sitting next to you while you play, but not really doing anything. You’ve also grown quite the affinity to ChooChoo Bob. You mainly watch this for a minute or two before you go to bed (when Daddy puts you to bed. Mom makes you read books) or when Mom and sister are out, you’ll watch one of the DVDs. You regularly request to watch it and will even go and get a remote and hand it to us, sit yourself up on the couch and demand, Bob.

As evidenced above, the vocabulary and sentences improve every month! One of your favorite things to do is tattle-tale on Lexi. ‘Lexi bite me’ ‘Lexi hit my head’ ‘Lexi push me’ and you’ll come running to me with some crocodile tears. Nine out of 10 times, you are fibbing and Lexi hasn’t done anything to you. We’re going to need to keep our eye on you, you little fibber!

You can also repeat the number sequence of 1-13 and so so regularly. You’ve also gotten pretty good at identifying colors. If I ask you what color this is, you get it right about half the time, but if I say, show me where the Blue one is, you get it right. You’re also starting to use colors to describe things. The other day, you kept asking for the ‘red’ one. I thought you were referring to a red bowl, but you were referring to what was in the red pan.

Other favorite things about you right now:

• The way you say ‘Yeah’ has this little inflection that the pitch of your voice raise as you finish the word and it is just so sweet to hear.

• If you can’t see something, it is hiding behind a tree. I’ll ask, ‘Where’s your socks?’ or ‘Where is Doon?’ and you’ll say ‘Hiding…hiding behind tree’. I think this comes from the song ‘Mr. Golden Sun’ but it is still pretty funny.

• I think your hair is curlier now than it was before we cut it. There have been a couple of moments where you’ve gotten really sweaty and it curls up into little ringlets.

• You love to have clean hands and wash them. When you’re done eating, you announce, ‘Wash hands’ and get down and run to the bathroom. Even during the middle of a meal, your hands will get dirty and you’ll request to have them cleaned half way through

• At the beginning of the month, you went to your first movie, Moana. I brought Grandma with us as I wasn’t sure how you were going to do sitting in a movie theater for that long, or didn’t want to have to take you with if Lexi had to go potty. You were a rock star bud. You had your little cup of popcorn and your water and treats and munched away and just watched the movie the whole way through. You loved calling things out like ‘Monster’ or ‘Scary’ or ‘Silly’ throughout. It was so cute to look over at you in the big chair and you cuddled up next to Grandma. So sweet!

• You also had a pretty nasty cold this month which made sleeping fairly challenging for you, lots of runny noses, eye goop, overall congestion, coughing and sneezing. It lasted for about two-and-half weeks, but I think we’re finally on the tail end of it for you. Hoping the rest of the winter is pretty healthy!
• Favorite toys: trains, Mickey Mouse camp fire truck (which you call the ice cream truck), pretend ice cream cones, Tonka Truck, balls, vacuum cleaners, your drills/tools
• Favorite books/TV shows: Trains, Trucks, Little Blue Truck, Monsters, ChooChoo Bob, Mickey Mouse clubhouse and Roadstar Racers, Curious George, Tigger and Pooh
• Favorite foods: pretty much everything but you ask to eat cereal every morning

That’s it buddy! Next month you’re two!!AHH!!

Love,

Mama

Dear Babes,

You have grown to be the size of an orange. So crazy to think that when we first saw you 8 weeks ago you were the size of our finger nail and now you’re the size of our fist! There have been a couple of times where I’ve questioned your movement, but nothing definitive yet.

Yesterday morning I had another check-up, this time with a nurse practitioner. You are still sitting super low, but have a strong heartbeat ranging between 154 and 157, which is exactly in the middle of the range they like to see. So no indications of whether you are a boy or a girl. I didn’t record Lexi’s heartbeat around this time, but William’s was 145 so not to far off.

Everything else at the appointment went well. Still no weight gain, which I’m thrilled about, but know it will eventually come. We also have your ultrasound scheduled for February 24th, which makes me 20 weeks and puts me back on the ‘traditional’ timing for weekly appointments.

I still haven’t made a decision if we want to find out your gender, so in a way, I’m making the decision to not find out. This week, I’ve caught myself referring to you as ‘she’ or her, but that maybe out of Lexi’s confidence in you being a girl. She talks and asks about you frequently. She talks about how she is going to help give you a bottle and hold you. Yesterday morning she was pretending that I was the baby and was showing me how she was going to burp you. William has no clue what is going on and just wants to tackle me.

Still not feeling the greatest. I’ve ruled out that I’m not nauseous anymore, but just have a really strong gag re-flux which is causing me to be sick. I’ve also determined that most of the gagging is induced by smells, and they are very unpredictable. The smell of the parking ramp (the salt) is pure torture, I went to freeze some BBQ chicken that has been in the fridge and opening the container set me off, I also fried some sausage for dinner one night and when I came back into the house after Lexi’s swim lessons I was pretty horrified. I’m hoping this will go away soon, but the Dr. warned me, it maybe something that follows me throughout pregnancy.

I’ve still had several headaches in the evening time frame that are no picnic and send me to bed as soon as the kids snoozin. Also, food doesn’t seem to help me feel better in the ways it had 4 weeks ago. When I don’t feel well, I keep trying to eat something, but nothing really seems to help me feel better. However, over the weekend, I was really craving some spinach artichoke dip and had Daddy pick some up for me and also ordered some maple bacon jalapeno wantons on a whim and pretty much melted in delight as they were so nummy!

I’ve pretty much put all of my regular pants away and am wearing maternity pants exclusively, although they are big. I can fit into the other pants, these are just so much more comfortable, it doesn’t seem worth it to wear the non-preggo pants. Overall, bump seems smaller this time around than with William. There is something there, but looks squishy and fat verses round and hard like a true pregnant belly. Definitely looking forward to ‘looking preggo’ verses just fat.

Love,

Mama

Dear little Babes,

We are officially in the 2nd Trimester! Yeah! The most exciting news is we officially got the blood work back for all of the genetic tests we did last week and you passed with flying colors! This also means, we can find out your gender. However, now I’m second guessing if I want to know. Originally, I always thought I would find out with Baby #3, but everyone I know that has found out and been surprised, likes being surprised better. I loved the anticipation and surprise of not knowing with Lexi and William and am fearful I’ll miss that if I know. Daddy has no preference, which isn’t helpful. Time will tell on if we decide to find out or not.

I’ve started to feel a tiny bit better this past week. Fewer moments of nausea, but still gagging and throwing up. It happens in odd scenarios too. For example, I gag every time I walk into the parking ramp at work–specifically when I’m leaving for the day. The smell of the salt literally makes gag Every.Day. Brushing my teeth is still torture and I’m starting to worry about the health of my teeth and getting cavities and gingivitis. I’m going to force myself to brush again at night and floss. Coughing also makes me gag. I think it is the intensity I cough at. I know people that would cough so hard they throw up, and this is similar, but I’ll only cough once and have to run to the bathroom.

I’m able to stay awake past 8:30 again and am not as drained by 3:00 as I was about a month ago. I seem to be having fewer migraines and food is no longer disgusting. I would say very few things ‘sound good’, but I can eat almost anything without getting sick. I do still have some stomach pains, but was doing a little reading and have self-diagnosed these pains as round-belly ligament pain. I didn’t have this with either of your siblings so I’ll ask the Dr about it next week to confirm. I’m also predicting that you’re going to give me some pretty good heartburn. There are moments were I can tell it is already flaring up.

‘The Bump’ is officially here. Stomach sleeping is starting to get challenging as I can feel the hardness of my belly when I lie. I’ve also tried to wear regular pants several times this week and regret it every time. I bought a bunch of new maternity pants in multiple sizes and am trying to figure out which sizes to keep. It is proving to be more challenging than I anticipated. One size fits me now (in the legs, butt and belly) but I know they’ll be too tight in several months.

Lexi insists that you are a girl and wants to call you ‘Girl Bood’. She asks lots of questions about how you got in there and how you’re going to get out and when are you going to come out. William has no clue what is going on and just wants to tackle me and play choo-choo trains.

Love,

Mama

Dear Baby,

I jinxed myself last week and saying I was over the ‘sickness’ phase of things because I have felt sick everyday. Nausea, stomach aches, and migraines have left me on the couch and in bed by 8:30. Rough stuff. Really hoping this phase ends soon. I put on my first pair of maternity pants this morning hoping the elastic waistband will help me feel better and that maybe my pants were just too tight and causing me to feel sick?!?! Willing to try anything at this point. Some co-workers brought in some Ginger mints and tea. I didn’t like the mints but we’ll give the tea a try. Two days ago, I had a genetic screening and everything on the ultrasound showed you’re a healthy little babe. Your heartbeat was at 150 and are measuring to be 6 cm long from crown to rump. Through the ultrasound, I was able to see your femur developing as well as your spine and both hemispheres of your brain. They also took some blood work and we’ll be able to find out if you are a little boy or a little girl in the next week or so.

Originally, I had a pretty strong intuition that you were a girl. However over the past two weeks, I’ve had two dreams of you being a boy and my intuition in general is flipping that you are a little boy. If I had to put money on it right now I would say that I’m about 80% sure you are a boy.

This will be the first time we are finding out the gender of the baby. We kept it a surprise for both your big sister and brother. You will be our last baby and I would like to get rid of some clothes we won’t need if we can and it feels kind of exciting to know and be able to bond with you a little more.

It has been EXTREMELY cold these past few days and your mama hates it. As I have been dropping your big siblings off at daycare, I’ll have thoughts pop into my head that next year, i’ll be bringing a baby out into this cold, only to remind myself that you’ll be nice and cozy at home with someone 🙂 We don’t know who that will be yet, but I’m grateful I won’t be getting three kids ready each morning to head out the door by a certain time.

Love,

Mama

Dear Baby,

I took a couple weeks off as I felt like I was writing the same thing every week. A couple of updates that happened over the last few weeks.

1. We’ve told people you’re on your way! Our original plan was to announce via our Christmas Cards, but we never got around to actually ordering the cards, so we just posted it online. Either way, the secret is out of the bag!

1. I don’t want to jinx myself, but I think I’ve turned the corner of the 1st trimester sickness. Outside of brushing my teeth, my sickness always hit me in the afternoons/evenings. However, over the last week, there have only been 2 times I haven’t felt well. I don’t seem to be as tired as I was either. If we’re out doing activities, I get tired, but I’m not exhausted like I was. Most food is agreeable these days. The mere thought of something doesn’t make me gag like it had a couple weeks ago and I can pretty much eat everything again. Some things sound better than others but the intense cravings have drastically diminished.
2. At my 10.5 week appointment (I went a little early due to Dr. G being on vacation) I had lost 3 lbs. All but one pair of pants still fit me which is a bonus and at least 2 weeks longer than I lasted with your big brother. I don’t think I’m showing yet either. There is a bump there but, it was there well before your arrival so you can’t take credit for anything quite yet.
3. Daddy and I continue to have lots of conversations about what we are going to do for childcare once you arrive. The only thing I think we have decided is that you and your siblings won’t be going to daycare-now it is just a matter of figuring out who will be here with you. This is by far my biggest anxiety right now. It keeps me up at night and I’m constantly thinking about it. Regardless of the decision, there are so many things that will ripple out of the decision. Ultimately, we want what is best for you munchkins, but we also want an ‘affordable’ option that won’t drastically change our lifestyle. Unfortunately, I don’t think there is an option out there that meets those needs, so then it comes down to what is the next best option.
4. This past week we celebrated Christmas. We had a great time celebrating with family and Mommy and Daddy were both home the whole week. It has been so nice to just be home as a family playing games and laughing and snuggling. It is so crazy to think you’ll be 6 months old at this time next year and how that will change things for us.

Love,

Mama

Dear little nugs,

Dear Little Babes,

Although you have informally introduced yourself to me via all the pregnancy symptoms I am feeling, we meet earlier this week on the ultra-sound screen. The doctor officially confirmed your existence and we saw  your heart beat flutter away at 159 beats a minute. You’re measuring right on track and are due to arrive July 13th!  For some reason, I was more nervous for your appointment than I remember for the others. Foolish, but I was worried I had somehow fabricated your existence and my mind was playing some crazy tricks on me. I’ll blame the irrational thoughts on the hormones.

I was also officially diagnosed with pneumonia this week which is not good. I had bronchitis earlier this month and it just never went away. After the OB listened to my wheezy breathing and deep gargley cough, I went back to the general practitioner diagnosed who me with pneumonia and strict instructions to get lots and lots of rest. No household chores, just sitting on the couch. And at this point, I have no problems with that. Between the pneumonia and the early pregnancy symptoms I feel pretty terrible. I took a shower today and that felt like I exerted too much energy.

The metallic taste that I experienced weeks 3-6ish has gone away, but I now I’m really struggling to brush my teeth and usually vom a little when I do.

Eating is a hot mess. I know I need to eat every 2 hours or so to help fight off the nausea but nothing sounds good. Additionally, when I do eat, I’ll sometimes eat too much and then feel terrible. I’m walking a fine line of not eating enough or too much to keep my blood sugar in check. Throw in a little dizzyness and it makes for a fabulous combination.

For the most part, I’ve been pretty emotionally stable (but should maybe get confirmation from your dad on that one). I’ve had a few moments where I start crying for no reason (like watching Survivor last night!) but for the most part I feel like I’ve been pretty rational.

Keep growing little one and lets hope Mom starts to feel better!

Love,

Mama

Dear Babes,

Happy Thanksgiving! This past week has been fairly uneventful. The biggest news is how awful I feel. It is interesting how each pregnancy has been different. Lexi I felt the nausea and was beyond exhausted. I would fall take a nap between brushing my teeth and putting my clothes on each morning. With William, I kind of knew what to expect so I made sure to eat every 2-3 hours or so and was tired but it was manageable. With you, I feel like I have the flu every day. Full on body aches–particularly within my core. I get winded going up a flight of stairs. Most food doesn’t sound appetizing but know I need to eat so I force myself to eat something. I’m also super unmotivated. I just want to sit on the couch. The house is a mess and I have piles of laundry that need to be done, folded and put away, but rarely do anything about it and strangely don’t care. Early next week, Daddy and I head to the doctor to get a little closer glimps of you. Mentally, I’m about 50% sure this is happening. I’m thinking about the future and how we will change things up for you, but I fully can’t let my mind go there until next week when we get official official confirmation of your existance and a due date.

Sit tight little one, you’re about to get your picture taken for the first time.

Love,

Mama

Dear little babes,

This has been a rough week for your mama. Last week, I came down with a cough that was pretty terrible and never got better and eventually turned into Bronchitis. It kept me out of work for 4 days! And knowing you are growing inside of me made it a little more challenging to treat as the medication is pretty limited. Even though fully approved by Dr., I’m still a little hesitant on taking medicine, especially when you’re going through so many major moments. Your heart started beating this week and your eyes, ears, kidneys, liver and lungs are are developing. I’m a little nervous one of these things will go wrong because of the meds. I’m also probably hyper-sensitive right now as your cousin Claire is just having a rough time. A couple days after she was born, they discovered a heart condition. She had surgery and it went well, but recovery hasn’t been smooth. Other things keep popping up which require more testing and nothing comes back positive, which is good, but also scary because it is hard to know why she isn’t getting better. I’m pretty scared for her and your Uncle Joe and Auntie Angie. I can’t imagine what they’re going through and don’t feel like I can do much to help. I’m also just scared for you. When you have two healthy kids like your big sister and brother, it’s hard to understand how many things can/do go wrong and how lucky you are when everything turns out OK. I pray you are healthy and there is nothing wrong with you and that I didn’t cause any harm to you (irrational thought, i know, but as you get older and learn more about your mom, you’ll learn I have many irrational thoughts everyday)

Love,

Mama