31 Weeks and a little update

28 weeks:

31 weeks:

I'm actually 32.3 weeks along now but I didn't take a 32 week picture. Here at 32 weeks along I'm once again on"modified bedrest". Everything was going pretty well and I felt pretty good, besides the horrendous sciatic pain, until around 28-29 weeks. My blood pressure at my monthly check up at 29 weeks was a little elevated and instead of being seen again in 4 weeks Dr Cueto wanted to see me in 2. He wasn't totally worried but told me to call him if anything felt off. Week went by ok, but the following week I really started to feel crappy. I was getting daily headaches and my BP at work was up to 148/80's-90's everyday, but no protein in my urine yet. I let the Dr know and he told me to just keep my appointment that was coming up the next Monday at 31 weeks. At my appointment at 31.2 weeks my BP was 152/86 and trace protein in my urine so Dr Cueto walks in the room and announces "Who's stopping work today??", he put me on modified bedrest, told me no long walks araound Costco or long shopping trips. He wants me to relax with my feet up for most of the day but if I feel like going for a walk then I should go, so I'm not at risk for going into preterm labor. However, I am at risk for completely developing preeclampsia and being put into preterm labor by Dr Cueto if my BP stays up or I get more protein in my urine. He wants to get baby to 36 or 37 weeks and he thinks me taking it easy should accomplish that, but I'm really hoping to make it 40 weeks. Not only do I not want Jacob born early but we'd also like to avoid being in the hospital over Christmas or New Year's. :) This last week being off work has definitely brought my BP down, I can feel it, I still get slight headaches but they aren't as pounding as they were when I was working. But the newest symptom I've seemed to develop is floaters in my vision, they aren't there all the time and it's not in my central vision so I'm not totally worried but I will be mentioning it to Dr Cueto on Monday. We are really hoping it's not a sign that I have higher protein in my urine and that baby will have to be born early. Needless to say this pregnancy has been quite the roller coaster, but I do feel so good that we made it this far and (god forbid) if Jacob were born today he would probably be just fine. It's a lot different than the risks we were facing with the hemorrhage at 7-14 weeks when he was almost not even given the chance to make it this far. I didn't have any issues with Hannah's pregnancy so it's very weird for us to be dealing with this. It's also strange to develop preeclampsia in your 2nd pregnancy when you didn't have it the first go round but from reading about it, it says it can happen if the placenta didn't attach correctly early in pregnancy (ie: the hemorrhage) which results in the constriction of blood vessels, thus causing a rise in BP, and so on. So here we are now, relaxing and keeping baby inside for as long as possible. Nick has been the BEST husband I could ever have asked for, he absolutely won't let me do anything (which tends to get on my nerves at times) but I know it's for the best for the health of Jacob and right now that's most important! I'll try and update after our next appointment this next Monday, let's hope nothing has progressed!

Happy 5th Birthday Hannah Grace!!

Hannah had the best birthday! Each year it keeps getting better and better, I just hope we can keep up! :) Her birthday started with her celebration at school....
Everyone sang Happy Birthday and she loved it! Her school doesn't allow treats to be brought to class so we bought a couple new board games to donate to the class so come rainy days all the kids will be able to enjoy them together.

Then on her actual birthday her school was closed so Nick and I both took the day off to spend it with our birthday girl. We started with a powdered donut breakfast cake, played mini golf, then went to Dave and Buster's (per her request) for lunch and games! It was the perfect family day.

Then on Saturday we had her party at Tricks gymnastics. This was the first year we didn't have her party at home and it was the BEST! All the kids had an awesome time and we were able to come home to a clean house. The place did everything, we just sat back, took pictures, and enjoyed our girl's day.

Hannah invited all her friends from Childtime, it was so nice to catch up with the parents since we haven't seen any of them since she started kindergarten. And picture overload from the party...

Her party was a blast and I look forward to next year's bash!!

26 weeks and slacking big time

Ok this picture was supposed to be at the bottom of the post, whatever. This was Hannah's birthday, we went and played mini golf and had so much fun! Just shy of 26 weeks...

23 Weeks

25 weeks

Weight gain: As of 26 weeks (which I am today) it's 21 lbs. So, in the next 14 weeks if I gain a pound a week it'll be total gain of 35 lbs, which I guess is still within "normal" weight gain for a pregnancy. All I can say is I cannot wait to lose this weight and get skinnier than ever after baby comes out all chunky and happy! I am eating ice cream and cheeseburgers for the baby of course!! It's not for me.... I promise.

Symptoms: For the most part I'm feeling pretty good. I'm tired and my sciatic pain is killer on most days, but I'm working full time and then take care of a crazy 5 year old so what can I expect?! The hubs is AMAZING and I could not do all this without him, when he hears my groans of pain he tells me to relax and helps out in every way possible! Even down to transferring laundry from washer to dryer he offers to do it so I don't have to bend down. He's pretty much a stud and I am so lucky to have him by my side and as the father of my children! (And BTW, children? As in plural, 2 kids, so crazy...) So, my complaints are exhaustion and back pain, other than that life is good.

Food and cravings: I love food and am not too picky these days. Just don't get in my way when I'm hungry, or you might lose a finger... it's true, my hubs got his hand out of the way just in time a few times or he would be down to 8 or 9 digits.... true story. :)

Fun stuff: Feeling the baby rolling and moving all the time. He is so crazy and moves a lot, which I love!! When he cooperates other people are able to feel him too, but of course as soon as someone places there hand on my belly he decides it's time for a snooze. Thebest thing was when Hannah saw my belly move all crazy for the first time, her face lit up and she thought it was the coolest thing ever. She always talks to her brother and is so excited to meet him. And I am loving seeing the relationship form between the siblings already, so sweet.

A Bit of Randomness...

* My sweet 4 year old says to me yesterday as I heave myself off the couch: "Mommy, you're getting fat, but it's just because of the baby", WOW thank you sweetheart, I really appreciate that! Immediately there after I go on to explain why we NEVER say people are getting fat, especially to your mommy.... who does this girl think she is? (Although she is sort of right...)

* Why is planning a 5 year old's party so stressful and EXPENSIVE??!! Good lord she's turning 5, why are we contemplating spending upwards of $400 on a party plus a dinner the night before for family?? Ok, change of plans, scale down a little, only invite her friends and grandparents, go to a place that's not quite as expensive and she'll still have a BLAST! And, no dinner the night before for family... there comes a time when extended family just doesn't need to be invited and it's just about Hannah and her friends... right? Right?

*Speaking of her birthday we already got her gift and it's out in the backyard already being enjoyed- the trampoline is back, my friends, and Hannah couldn't be more excited! We got HOA approval before buying it this time so they aren't going to make us get rid of it! We bought it for her a month early becuase of previous bullet point of her party costing a small fortune... no it's not the $60,000 party like on RHOBH but still over $400 for party is still a lot in my book!

* I have a problem- all I want to do is shop, seriously I want to buy something all. of. the. time! I want to shop for Hannah. Shop for the baby. Shop for clothes, even though I'm only going to be this size for another 4 months...

*Speaking of, in just over 4 months we will have a brand spanking new bambino to bring home! Ahhhh I'm so excited to hold and kiss this little dude that has been a-wigglin' and a-groovin' inside my tummy!
21 weeks and there is no hiding it now (not that I was hiding it) but I'm COMPLETELY showing now and I LOVE it! And getting fat?? Yup, pretty much true, total weight gain so far? 15 lbs!! Yikes!!! And I still have about 19 weeks to go...

*Why did I just start crying out of no where today?? Literally tears streaming down my face for no reason whats-o-ever! Yes, I must be pregnant. The first part of my pregnancy I was not very emotional but these last 2 weeks, I'll cry at ANYTHING!

* I just decided today that Hannah and I are going to make the long drive to Idaho with my parents to visit my Grandma for her 80th birthday. We haven't seen her for 4 years, so Hannah was only 1 year old the last time she saw her. Plus, my parents aren't going to tell her that Hannah and I are coming so it's going to be a great surprise... this is not going to go well for my whole emotional thing I got goin on these days!

19 & 20 weeks and still a boy :)

19 weeks! 20 weeks and Hannah wanted to be in the picture even though it doesn't look that way! haha

Blurry but Hannah looks cute and is actually smiling in this one!

Not much has changed the last 2 weeks, just getting fatter! :) We had our 20 week ultrasound on Friday and the tech said as far as she could tell us everything looked healthy. Baby is still a boy, so I think I can finally believe it now! :) And he was moving SO much it was crazy, the tech said it was going to take awhile to do all the measurements cause he was such a moving target! At one point he was folded in half with his feet touching his forehead and his hand was batting at his feet- it was so cute! My mom and I went to Babies-R-Us yesterday to work on the reigstry and I'm so excited to get all the baby's stuff together and ready for his arrival! We are at the half way point now so we are hoping the last half of pregnancy is a little less stressful and more enjoyable!

On a fun note- Nick sort of felt the baby for the first time on Friday! The kick felt HUGE to me but Nick said he thinks he felt a little something. It'll be fun when he can feel bigger movements and know for sure it's from baby!

Kindergarten

Hannah had the BEST first day of kindergarten! There were no tears (for anyone) and she walked right in like she had been going for years! She had so much fun and was so excited to go back the next day. But before she could start school she had to get her mani-pedi to be fully prepared for the big event!

I'm a Kindergartener!!!

Walking up to the school...

Met up with her neighbor friend, Keilah, who is in the AM class.

Waiting in line to head into class.

Putting her back pain away.

She found a seat, got straight to coloring, and didn't even look twice as we left!

We are so proud of our big kindergertener for doing such a great job on her first day!

18 Weeks!

18 week bump! I feel like it looks bigger in person and especially at the end of the day after eating it's totally a baby bump and I love it!!

Weight gain: Blah!!! At this point I'm at 10-12 lbs gained!! Which I'm not happy about but I know it's gotta happen. A couple friends that are further along then me have only gained 10lbs and I'm about to surpass them. :( Oh well, it's only temporary and I know it'll come off soon enough. But in the meantime I am loving my growing bump. I have yet to be asked in public if I'm pregnant, so I'm looking forward to when people can look at me and just know.

Symptoms: Nausea is totally gone which I'm loving and more food is starting to sound good.... so it's not too shocking with the weight gain I've had. I get random round ligament pain when I move too fast or in an awkward way. Heartburn has started, it's usually in the late afternoon a couple hours before dinner and it's not unbearable but I know that's coming. But the worst symptom yet is sciatic nerve pain. It's been slowly coming on but I get it everyday and on both sides of my butt. With Han I only had sciatic pain on the right side but this time it's on both. I'm usually pretty good during the day but as soon as I'm relaxing at night on the couch it's like my body gets too stiff and I can barrely stand up.

Food and cravings: Food has been tasting pretty darn good lately! :) I'm not really craving too many things and I've been eating our normal meals for the most part. But I still love Mexican and Italian food and I've also been eating a lot of veggie sandwiches lately.

Fun stuff: Feeling baby move more often. I definately do not feel him on a daily basis yet and it's still little pops and flutters but I love every time I feel him! I will be able to relax way more when I feel him everyday but until then I've been using the doppler at work to listen to his heartbeat every couple days! :) I can't wait for Nick and Hannah to be able to feel him, that will be so much fun!

16 weeks and a BOY

OK, super exciting news first... we found out yesterday (for positive) that we are having a BOY!!!
At the ultrasound we had when I was 14.5 weeks (to check on the hemorrhage- which doc said looks totally gone, so the last bleeding I had was probably me passing the rest of it! yay! Now here's to hoping it doesn't come back or cause any other problems...) Anyways, as soon as Dr said all looked good I asked if he could see *anything* and as he's saying "no, the machine is old, and the baby is too small... oh wait, I think I just saw something go by." As soon as he said that I knew it meant boy!! I was basically jumping off the table and Dr was saying "calm down, I can't tell for sure at this point! And don't go painting the room blue or anything". However, I was pretty sure it was a boy. We were going to wait until our normal 20 week ultrasound to 100% know for sure but Nick (and I ) couldn't stand the only sort of knowing, so we paid to get an outside ultrasound done and find out for sure. The tech said he has never been wrong in over 30 years and said we are for sure having a BOY!! What was even more special was Hannah was able to be there, hear the heartbeat, and see her little brother moving around on the screen. We were both nervous she wouldn't be excited since it wasn't a sister, but she was absolutely thrilled and hasn't called the baby Emily since we've found out! If it's possible, she seems even MORE excited and loving now towards my baby bump since she knows what's growing inside! I love seeing the growing love she has for her baby brother and I can't wait to see how she acts when he's actually here!

Hands in front of his face.

Beautiful, perfect spine.

Cute little boy profile and growing tummy!




Here I am at 15 weeks ( I pretty much look this same this week too):

Weight: I've gained about 8-10 lbs at this point. So I'm pretty much on track for normal weight gain, unless I really blow up here in the next couple weeks- which is entirely possible!

Symptoms: My nausea has finally subsided, I get random bouts of nausea here and there but overall I'm feeling pretty good, and I've got some more energy now that I'm in my 2nd trimester. I'm still totally exhausted most of the day but at points during the day I get a boost of energy. Overall, feeling good but just jiggly and trying to find stuff to wear these days is difficult so I've been slipping into some maternity clothes already- which feel so comfy! I would say I've been a little more snippy and short tempered lately, but that's all from the hormones... right??

Food and cravings: I've had WAY more food aversions than cravings this time and it's hard to find something that sounds good. Mexican food is still good, Italian food, salads with ranch, veggie sandwiches (although I wish I could pile it high with salami and turkey), egg and sausage breakfast sandwiches, and flavored chips (sour cream and onion, ranch doritos, spicy nacho doritos) which I was really trying to stay away from because of the MSG but they are soooooo good, so I try to limit them.

Fun stuff: Starting around 14 weeks I started feeling little pops of movement. Some people might think that's too early to feel anything, but it was always in the same spot and felt the same way everytime- like popcorn popping. It would be totally random and maybe 1 time per day and not even every day, but I know those are small baby movements! Now that I'm 16 weeks I really look forward to being able to feel baby more often and bigger movements. With Hannah's pregnancy her movements felt more like butterflies in my stomach, so it's funny how this baby's movements are totally different and feel like little pops. It's fun comparing the 2 pregnancies, especially since I didn't write everything down with Hannah's so this is a way for me to reflect on my pregnancy with her too.

Names: So now we are completely on to boy names (of course) and we are all 3 liking Jacob Andrew, although I really liked Jackson Reid no one else seems to like it so I guess I get voted out! But we also decided to give the name discussion a break for a few weeks since we are both tired of debating, so we'll revisit this subject in the near future!