17/18 weeks

17 weeks October 21

18 weeks October 27

(please excuse the pajama pants. It turns into pajama time any time I'm at home!)

I'm feeling pretty good this week. I've definitely noticed that I'm hungry a lot more often and I want to eat ALL the time! It's such a nice change over being so nauseous constantly for the first 15/16 weeks. My stomach is poking out (a whole lot) enough now that people are noticing it. Twice now I've had strangers to ask if it was my first, or how far along I was. It's been strange because I because I haven't advertised this pregnancy a whole lot (especially to my customers at work) so when people that I haven't told notice, it catches me off guard. It's fun and makes me smile! I feel like I'm looking huge right now considering that I'm only 18 weeks! I've been feeling little baby girl moving around a lot! I feel her most when there is pressure on my stomach (she just kicked as I'm typing this...the lap top is pressing into her a bit!) and I love, love, love it!! I think I've gained about 7 or 8 pounds now. I'm trying to eat healthy but it doesn't always happen, especially after dinner when my ice cream/sweets craving kicks in! I've also been wanting super spicy stuff (hot salsa, hot wings, red pepper flakes added to lots of things) which makes for lots of heart burn. It apparently isn't bad enough for me to stop eating spicy things though. I can't think of other recurring cravings, other than maybe spaghetti...I've wanted that quite often, but not to the point of a real craving. I think I'm carrying exactly like I was with Addison...very high. I have an appointment for my anatomy scan next week on Nov 2, and I'm so excited about it!! It would have been when we find out boy or girl, but we got to find out early, so now it will be a fun show and tell! I have a few names that I like but I'll wait until we have decided to tell.

15 and 16 weeks

15 weeks October 7, 2011

At 15 weeks, I felt much better than before. I was still having a lot of nausea and even some vomiting, but it wasn't constant like it had been. I definitely had more energy. The most exciting thing was that at 15w 1d (10/8)I felt the baby move for the first time! It felt like someone thumped my stomach from the inside. From then I was able to feel the baby once every few days. Very comforting!

On October 12, I went to the doctor for an in-between-visits visit. I was 15 w 5d. I had gained about 6 pounds and all of my stats looked good. I made the appointment basically to ease my worry and to let me know that things were okay. Here's the skinny:

We got back into the room and the Nurse Practitioner tried to find the heart beat for several minutes and just wasn’t getting anything. I was about to freak out, thinking, “I cannot believe this is happening again!” She finally got it for just a second or two but couldn’t get a good reading from it. So she sent us over to the ultrasound tech. I wasn’t too nervous at this point because I could feel the baby pushing up against the her as she was pushing down on my stomach! We got to hear the heart beat and got to see lots of our little baby!

Everything looked great and we even got to find out what we’re having!! Looks like Addison was right, she’s going to get a SISTER!! We are so excited and thrilled that we got to find out so early! So even though it started out a bit nerve wracking it turned out to be a great appointment.

Oh, and I don't think that I posted it, but we got the 1st trimester screening results back and they are negative!! so everything looks wonderful to date and there are no indicators that anything is wrong. Praying!!

12 Week Appointment

I went to the doctor this morning and had an ultrasound and regular doctor's appointment. The ultrasound was part of the first trimester screening that we opted to have. It measures the nuchal translucency, which is the thickening at the back of the baby's neck. If it's very thick it is a big indicator of a chromosomal issue (such as down's syndrome, trisomy 18 or trisomy 13). They use the measurements along with the blood work and place your results in the positive or negative range. We won't find out the results for about a week but the measurements were in the normal range so we are hoping that means good news! Our super sweet ultrasound tech (Barbara - the same one I had when we lost the baby) and she sounded optimistic.
The baby was moving all around and kept waving at us. It was so amazing to see! We both keep calling the baby a "he" which happened when we saw him/her on the screen. I can't wait to find out!! The heart beat was nice and strong at 165 beats per minute. The baby did measure one week ahead of what it sound have, so they moved my due date up a week to March 30th. I've gained 3.5 pounds now and seem to have been feeling a bit better over the past few days. I;m now 13.5 weeks which means I'm in my second trimester, which will hopefully mean I'll feel a lot better soon! I'm going back to the doctor in 2 weeks just to hear the heart beat, just for my peace of mind. Then I'll go back on the 24th for the anatomy scan where we will hopefully find out the sex of the baby! So I'm just trusting that God will give us a healthy pregnancy and baby.

A lot of Words

The last year has been one of the most difficult I've experienced. It wasn't a year full of bad experiences and happenings per say but a very difficult one as far as my emotional state goes. I wanted to get pregnant again almost immediately after having lost the baby but I went on one month of birth control before deciding that definitely was not what I wanted. I had thoughts of immediately getting pregnant without any effort. Well, month after month, I wasn't pregnant, even with lots of effort. I had no idea that I wouldn't be able to get pregnant very quickly. I'd never been in the position of "trying" to get pregnant; in the past it just happened. I had always made the statement that we weren't trying, we were just letting God work and if he allowed me to become pregnant I would be happy and if not, it would come later. Well, over the past year that is definitely NOT how I was viewing it. I was just devastated every month when I wasn't pregnant. I know that we didn't have fertility issues but I was getting impatient and just didn't understand why it was proving to be so difficult. I wasn't the only one being let down either. Jordan was disappointed each month, even though at first he only went along with it because he knew I wanted it so much. Other than not getting pregnant I was doing pretty good with the grieving and getting over it.


And then February 7th came. What was to supposed to have been my due date. I still wasn't pregnant and it was a rough time. I just broke down that morning in the shower and had to take off work. I allowed myself to wallow in my self-pity for the day and just be sad for the loss that we had experienced. I know that sounds crazy but I think I just needed to acknowledge the day that should have represented such a wonderful time and a new phase of our lives and let myself grieve all of the plans that we had made and then lost. I was fine after that and went on with my life, being thankful for all of the blessing we've been given. But still somewhat bitter that I still wasn't able to pull out Addison's Big Sister shirt again.

In April, after about 7 months of not getting pregnant, I decided that I was spending too much time and effort trying to make things happen (things that I can't control) and that I really needed to focus on other things. I'd been putting off making plans in the future because I was planning out pregnancies that weren't happening (ex. I wouldn't commit to trips because I might be too big if I got pregnant). So I decided to take some online classes to finally finish my Associates Degree and to start running. I ran for about 2 months and really enjoyed it. I stopped because I was too busy with my classes (they started mid may) and because it just got WAY too hot to be outside, much less running! I felt more at peace with not being pregnant and decided that, although I wasn't completely abandoning my efforts, I wasn't going to stress and obsess over it anymore.

Finally on July 24, after 10 months of waiting and stressing, crying and frustration, and 11 months to the day after losing the baby, I saw two little purple lines on the pregnancy test!! I was so excited and so scared all at the same time. Jordan and I just stood and looked at the test and hugged and cried. We told our parents, family and close friends the next week. I've been super nauseous, which started around 5 weeks and has only intensified. I am not complaining at all since I'm taking the morning sickness as a good sign. I was, after all, really sick with Addison and not so much with pregnancy #2.

It's different this time. Of course I'm thrilled beyond words to finally be pregnant again but I'm having a harder time actually planning things out with this baby. Not that I'm waiting for something bad to happen, but the possibility is present in my mind. We went to the doctor the day after my birthday (great timing, I know. I refused to go on my birthday, August 24, the day we couldn't find a heart beat last year. I'm not superstitious but I just wasn't putting myself through that emotional ride). We were able to get a lot of information at my appointment. I'm due April 6th, although I think it might actually be a bit sooner than that. That puts me at 8 weeks. The doctor discussed our last pregnancy and the complications in more detail than we had been told before. She said that the thickening at the back of the baby's neck meant that there was most definitely a chromosomal problem with the baby (i.e. down's syndrome). When chromosomal issues are present in a pregnancy, there is a greater chance of second trimester miscarriage. We had been told back when it happened that there was an obtrusion on the back of the baby's neck and that there was a possibility that it could've been chromosomal, but we weren't really told with any amount of certainty. I actually felt that the doctors were just trying to console me and tell me that it happened due to nothing that I did.

Back to my appointment, the doctor let us know that the chances of us having another child with chromosomal issues is very slim and that 95% of the time it's just a fluke that it happens. She discussed the option of doing the first trimester screening, which screens for Down's Syndrome, trisomy 18 and trisomy 13. The screening is non-invasive and is done using a combination of ultrasound measurements of the nuchal translucency (the back of the baby's neck) and my blood work. It is done between 11 and 13 weeks. The bad thing is that it is not a definitive test and there is a somewhat high percentage that you can be in the positive range without having anything wrong with the baby. The only way to find out for sure (if you were in the positive range) if there were chromosomal issues would be to do an amniocentesis. So Jordan and I decided that we did want to do the screening, although even if we were in the positive range, we still wouldn't do an amnio. We just thought that we were going to worry over this pregnancy weather we did the screening or not so we are just hoping to get a negative result to give us a bit of peace of mind.

So, my next appointment is on September 26th and we will have an ultrasound and do the screening. We are praying for a healthy baby and that I will be able to calm down and not worry so much...

Oh, and Addison is super excited to be a big sister! And she is totally convinced that she is going to have a sister. I guess she'll be in for a wake-up call if its a boy!

Pregnancy Highlights Week 15

(I've decided that my butt is growing more than my belly... ha, ha!)

How Far Along: 15 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple or naval orange).

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm still lingering around the 8 to 9 lb mark.

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing a few here and there, but mainly still my regular clothes. (I'm moving back into the next size up in pants from what I was wearing when I got pregnant. I'm just glad that I have a large variety of sizes in my closet now.)

Gender: Not much longer wait...just 3 more weeks

Movement: I'm feeling little flutters but not regularly. I feel them more at night when I'm laying on the couch after Addison's in bed.

Cravings: Can't really think of anything but I do like to eat. Oh wait, I was just talking about wanting spicy stuff to one of my co-workers, so I guess that's my current craving. Not doing much for my first symptom listed below...

What I miss: Not much of anything I guess. I'm feeling pretty good for the most part.

Sleep: I haven't been sleeping as well lately. I don't have to pee in the middle of the night (most nights) but I seem to be waking up and then tossing and turning for several hours before I can go back to sleep.

Symptoms: I'm starting to feel some heartburn. I'm not feeling as tired/run-down all the time. I guess 2nd trimester energy has come back to me. I have a little bit of lower back pain and some neck pain. That could just be a result of the way I'm sleeping (or rather not sleeping). Not sure.

Best Moment this week: Spending time with family and friends. And getting some of my energy back.

What I'm Looking Forward to: Hearing Baby's heartbeat at my doctor's appointment next Tuesday (on my birthday! What a special gift!!).

Today marks Addison's 15 month birthday and I am 15 weeks pregnant. Thought that was a neat coincident!

Pregnancy Highlights Weeks 13 and 14

Here's my picture for 14 weeks. I never got around to taking the 13 week picture. It was a busy, not so great week, so it just didn't happen. And obviously neither did my weekly post. So I'm just going to lump them together. (And I can't say this won't happen again. Pregnancy makes me tired, forgetful and not care about trivial things such as my blog.)

How Far Along: 13/14 Weeks
Size of Baby: Baby is the size of a clenched fist or lemon.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I think I'm up to about 8, maybe 9 pounds. I haven't been weighing in the morning (which is the weight I went by in the beginning) so I'm not completely sure what the true gain is. Probably the 9 pounds... :)
Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing a few pairs of maternity pants and occasionally the Bella Band with my regular pants. I have two maternity shirts that I got a GAP.com on clearance that I'm enjoying right now, but mainly still my regular shirts. The pants are some that I borrowed from my friend Ashlea. She's very petite and had size smalls from Motherhood, which I couldn't wear last time I was pregnant (most of my maternity clothes are too big...for now). I figured that they were a bit loose on her so I'd be able to fit into them pretty well. Turns out some were a bit too short. I tried one pair on and spent 10 minutes just laughing at how ridiculous they looked on me. They came to about 4 inches over my ankles. haha. Ashlea's only about 1.5 to 2 inches shorter than I am but I have unpreportionately long legs compared to my height. I can wear two pairs that she gave me while the rest are a bit on the way-too-short side.
Gender: Only 4 more weeks before we find out! I don't have a strong feeling either way. If I had to guess, I would guess girl. Yes, even though my pregnancy has been quite different, I still have a little tiny part of me that thinks its a girl. Not that I prefer girl over boy... I just kind of think it might be.
Movement: I started feeling baby move around a little during week 13! So cool to feel the movement! I don't think I started feeling Addison move this early.
Cravings: I can't think of anything in particular.
What I miss: Nothing really. I guess just having energy to enjoy staying up past 9:00. I'm waiting for the 2nd trimester energy to kick in.
Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good. Still on my belly. Oddly I don't really get up to pee in the middle of the night anymore.
Symptoms: Well, last week I had a few dizzy spells, one of which resulted in me blacking out and fainting after getting too hot in the shower. I've been hungry a lot and I figure that will only get worse. I did experience my first bit of heartburn last weekend. I;m sure that will only get worse too.
Best Moment this week: Feeling baby moving.
What I'm looking forward to: My ultrasound! And getting to hear Baby's heartbeat at my next doctor's appointment which happens to be on my birthday!
Take a look at this little HAM! She is so silly! I love the little PJs she was wearing. They say "make me giggle"! Cute!

Just thinking

I've been meaning to record some of my always random thoughts that float around in my head. so here is another all-over the place post (the only kind I can seem to come out with these days).

*When I was pregnant with Addison, I had a hard time remembering that my "condition" was only temporary. Obviously I knew it was, but it was hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that I would in fact lose a lot of the weight I'd gained and wouldn't permanently stay two sizes bigger. I couldn't fathom there ever being a time when I'd be able to tolerate wearing high heels again much less being comfortable in them. It seemed impossible that I'd be able to wear my pre-pregnancy size bras again (so I gave them as well as most of my smaller clothes away). I knew that I wouldn't be pregnant forever but I thought I'd have more lasting conditions, that becoming a mom would not only change forever emotionally but also physically.

Of course my first pregnancy left some toll on my body through stretch marks and um...less firm body parts but for the most part I was able to bounce back and quickly. I don't really know why I'm saying all of this now. I guess I'm just feeling differently with this pregnancy because I know that almost everything goes back to the way it was. Physically anyway.

*I think I'm getting sick. My throat has been sore and I've been sneezing and sniffing all day. Now I just want to drink some hot tea with honey. Too bad I don't have any.

* I saw a new Vera bag today that I love! I don't know what style it was but the color pattern was Very Berry Paisley. The website does not do it justice. The colors were much more vibrant and pretty in person. I also stumbled upon a color pattern that I think I like even better called Hello Dahlia. There's also Hope Garden which I've liked for a while since it came out. It's so pretty and bright and girly!!

*I just heard this guy say that he couldn't think of any good reason for summer!! HELLO...SANDALS!!

I guess that's it for now. All out of thoughts (other than wanting to go home and go to bed).

Oh, one more thing. I tried to pay for a snack from a gas station with my drivers license. The clerk was like "um, I don't need your ID to sell you potato chips". Why does my debit card keep hiding from me??? And why do I always think I have pulled out my debit card when it is in fact something random and not a method of payment??? AAHhhh!

12 Week Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 12 Weeks

Size of Baby: From crown to rump, Baby is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 7 pounds. So it's a little more for the first trimester than the recommended 2 to 5 pounds. Oh well. I think it comes with the second pregnancy territory, right?

Maternity Clothes: Not really. Most of my stuff still fits just snugly where they were lose. I've retired a few pairs of pants/jeans for the next year or more until I (hopefully) lose my baby weight.

Gender: Not sure yet, but while listening to the heartbeat the doctor did make the comment that it sounded a little feminine... (because it was high-150 beats per minute). Probably doesn't mean a lot since Jordan has such a high heart rate. But Addison's was high like that too. We'll find out around the 2nd week in September. Can't wait!

Movement: I keep thinking I feel something but I know it's probably too early. Hopefully it won't be too much longer.

Cravings: I have forgotten to mention it but I've wanted Root Beer Floats for the past few weeks. From Sonic. Yummm... Jordan got tired of me begging him to go to Sonic at 9:00 pm to get one for me so he told me to get some Root Beer and Ice cream at the grocery store so we could make our own. Ever since we've had the stuff at home to make them, it's been Jordan who has wanted one. I guess he's going to have my cravings for me/with me like he did when I was pregnant with Addison and we both always wanted hot fudge sundaes.

What I miss: Nothing really. I guess just having energy to enjoy staying up past 9:00.

Sleep: Having to pee a couples times per night is really interrupting my sleep. I'm still sleeping pretty good. Still enjoying sleeping on my belly. I'm going to have to savor my last few weeks of this. :)

Symptoms: I've had a lot of back pain recently. I don't remember having it so early the last time. Maybe it's how I'm laying while sleeping. Still just slightly nauseous, but not bad at all. My face is starting to get really oily a lot which I've never had a problem with. Strange.

Best Moment this week: Hearing baby's heartbeat! I love it, especially in these early weeks when I can't feel baby moving yet.

What I'm looking forward to: My ultrasound in 6 weeks! Then picking out a nursery theme for a little boy or little girl. Then deciding on a name...I'm starting to get stressed just thinking about it! :) I'll leave you with this adorable little girl! Happy Tuesday!

11 Week Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 11 weeks.

Size of Baby: Baby is slightly more than two inches long now and weighing about a third of an ounce. His/Her head is as long as the rest of his/her body.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I thinks it's around 5 to 6 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Only the maternity shorts. But I am finding that when I wear my jeans, they are much for comfortable with the button undone, so I've started wearing the Bella bands I borrowed from Ashlea. They work pretty well when you don't wear them upside-down... :)

Gender: Any guess?? Still not sure!

Movement: None yet but I can't wait!

Cravings: baklava once. nothing else really coems to mind.

What I miss: sleeping through the night without having to get up to pee. It's so bad that I wake up and my bladder aches until I empty it. Very annoying.

Sleep: Not too bad yet. Still able to get comfortable for now.

Symptoms: the morning sickness has come back a bit. All week I've felt a bit more green than I had been, although, thankfully there has still been no vomiting!

Best Moment this week: Not getting sick and spending time with my baby girl!

What I'm looking forward to: My doctor's apointment on Monday!

10 Week Pregnancy Highlghts

So I really though about changing back into my work clothes for Jordan to take my picture tonight, but it just wasn't worth it. So here I am in all my PJ glory! :) You can see the beginnings of a baby bump...at least that's what I'm calling it. I think it's mainly just a flabby, fatty mess. :)

How Far Along: 10 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby is nearly an inch and a half long and the size of a prune.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Umm, I think about 7 pounds. That's what happens when you eat non stop while on vacation. Yeah, it's possible I over did it. Oh well, hopefully the weight gain will slack off a bit in the 2nd trimester. We'll see...

Maternity Clothes: Just my comfy shorts. Other than that, my normal clothes still fit fine for the most part.

Gender: After a trip to the beach with some pretty rambunctious boys, I'm kind of scared of a boy! :) I still would love to have one, but it's a but intimidating to me. I guess you just get comfortable with what you know. And all I know is little girls! I can't wait to find out!

Movement:

Cravings: Still want fresh fruits and veggies. Also I had to have some chocolate milk the other day. I don't know that this qualifies for a craving since I didn't want it until I saw it in the grocery store. So it didn't just come out of nowhere.

What I miss: Umm, I can't think of much of anything. I guess not being constantly tired.

Sleep: Still pretty decent sleep. Just some crazy dreams. I very rarely remember my dreams, but I have several times now and they were CRAZY!! Also having to pee in the middle of every night.

Symptoms: Morning sickness has eased a lot. Or maybe I'm just used to it. Maybe it's because I was on vacation without a ton of responsibility, so I could lounge a bit more than normal. I don't know. Also really tired and sore back.

Best Moment this week: Spending time with family and of course my little Monkey!

9 Week Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 9 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby is about an inch, the size of a medium green olive.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Umm, I think about 4 pounds. Or possibly 5. Hard to tell at the beach. I've decided not to obsess about it.

Maternity Clothes: Just my comfy shorts. Other than that, my normal clothes still fit fine for the most part.

Gender: Not sure yet...

Movement: Sure can't wait!

Cravings: Loving fresh fruits and veggies, along with junk food such as cheetos or chips and salsa.

What I miss: Having energy

Sleep: Actually pretty good. It's amazing that I already have to get up in the middle of the night every single night to pee. I normally try to ignore it and just go back to sleep but it never works because my bladder will just ache until I empty it. And it's still really full every morning when I wake up.

Symptoms: My back is starting to get really sore and achy. I don't really get that considering I haven't really got much of a stomach yet so I'm not out of balance yet. Also really fatigued. So nausea, but not too bad this week. I think it's because we're at the Beach!

Best Moment this week: Getting to the beach and spending so much time with Addison.

Sorry for the lack of picture this week. Too busy! Hopefully next week.

8 Week Pregnancy Highlights and Doctor's appointment

How Far Along: 8 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby is 5/8 of an inch from head to rump, about the size of a large raspberry.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Umm...I think I've gained 4 pounds. I'm going to pretend that I didn't just type that so I'm not even going to comment on it.

Maternity Clothes: I'm occasionally wearing my two pairs of borrowed maternity shorts. Very comfy! Most of my other clothes are fitting fine. I just have to unbutton the the top button on my pants after lunch most days.

Gender: Still guessing. Don't forget to vote on the gender poll on my sidebar.

Movement: Not yet, but I can't wait!

Cravings: Tomatoes. Fresh juicy ones.
What I miss: Being able to shower without getting dizzy and nearly passing out. Also any amount of energy would be nice to get back.
Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good, but already needing to get up to pee at least once per night.
Symptoms: Nausea, exhaustion, dizziness.
Best Moment this week: Seeing baby on the ultrasound and seeing/hearing the heartbeat!! It was wonderful! Here's a picture of one of the ultrasound pictures:

See the head on the right side and the little arm and leg buds. I can't believe the amount of detail we could see when I'm only eight weeks along. I was expecting a blob/peanut but I think it actually resembles a little baby! So cool!

My doctor's appointment went so good! We saw one of the Midwives, Nona, at my practice and she is so wonderful! I'd seen her once before during my pregnancy with Addison at a routine appointment and I liked her but just didn't have a whole lot of interaction with her. Nona had a PA student with her during my appointment and they were both so warm and friendly. They gave me all the time I wanted with them and never once made me feel rushed. We discussed all concerns and questions I had and then Nona did my ultrasound herself instead of sending off to one of the ultrasound techs. She tried to look at the baby with the 3D/4D on, but it was just to strong for my little guy/gal. We couldn't get a shot that resembled anything that looked like a baby. But the regular ultrasound was really cool, as seen above.

We're so thankful that everything is going so well right now and that the baby seems to be thriving a right on schedule (cool little thing: According to what I thought I was, I was 7 weeks, 6 days at the apt. yesterday. When Nona was doing the ultrasound she measured the baby to figure out my due date and told me the baby measured 7 weeks, 6 days! It blows my mind that the doctors are able to pinpoint with such precision how far along you are. CRAZY!). Everything seems a little more real now (to Jordan, anyway. I was already thinking it felt a little too real with all the morning sickness and sleepiness...) and I think we are both anticipating the arrival of this little person! A lot to consider and work out, but I just keeping smiling when I think of a new baby!

7 Week Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 7 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby is now about the size of a blueberry, about 1/2 and inch from head to rump.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I think I'm still at 1 pound (could possibly be 2 pounds... How, you may ask, do you gain weight when you are nauseous most of the time? Because the only thing that helps keep the vomiting at bay is to always have something on your stomach and not let it get empty. Therefore constant eating is necessary...even when you don't want to.)

Maternity Clothes: I know I'm going to get some grief for this but I have worn maternity shorts a few times. I know it's way too early but they fit better than most of my other regular shorts since I'm a few sizes smaller than I have been in 3 or 4 summers. The maternity ones are in the right size, just with stretchy waist bands. If I keep having to unbutton my pants everyday after lunch I'm going to have to start wearing the Belly bands I borrowed from my friend Ashlea.

Gender: Jordan and I are both leaning toward a boy (for what we think it's going to be. We would both be happy with another little girl or a baby boy! I really don't have a preference.)

Movement: Just gas! haha, Just kidding! I really can't wait to feel baby moving around!

Cravings: I've been craving tomatoes. Fresh, garden grown, ripe tomatoes! Yum...

What I miss: I miss not eating all the time! And drinking water without it making me feel sicker than I already do.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty good right now. I'm going to bed between 9:30 and 10 and waking up at 6 (plus once during the night to pee).

Symptoms: I'm feeling pretty nauseous a lot but still no vomiting! Also very fatigued!

Best Moment this week: Spending time with family and thinking of Baby's arrival this winter.

What I am looking forward to: So many things, but in the near future, my first doctor's appointment next Monday (June 28th-8 weeks).

6 Week Pregnancy Highlights

While taking this picture Jordan kept telling me to turn sideways because he couldn't see my stomach. So I would turn sideways more and he just looked at me and said, "Jenny, You don't even have a belly yet. We may as well not even take a picture..." I told him I knew that and just to go along with me or he'll experience the wrath of a pregnant woman! and believe me, he knows what that's like! :)

How Far Along: 6 weeks

Size of baby: baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean (BabyCenter.com). Baby is no bigger than the length of a nail head (about a quarter of an inch) from crown to rump (WhattoExpect.com)!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +1. I had lost a pound last week and gained it back plus one this week.

Maternity Clothes: None yet. Although sometimes I feel like I need them. Stupid bloating! :)

Gender: Jordan and I are both leaning toward a boy (for what we think it's going to be. We would both be happy with another little girl or a baby boy! I really don't have a preference.)

Movement: Can't wait!!

What I miss: Being able to go for more than a few hours without eating. I get nauseous on an empty stomach.

Sleep: Feeling the fatigue! I'm going to bed around 10 but might move it back to 9!

Symptoms: I'm getting nauseous a little every day, normally just when I get hungry but sometimes its pretty bad. Last night I has to get up in the middle of dinner and lay on the couch. I just got really nauseous all of a sudden and really thought it would be my first vomiting session of this pregnancy. But thankfully it went away and I've felt mostly good since then.

Best Moment this week: Not vomiting during week 5! I feel like this is cause for celebration since I first threw up last time at 5 wks, 4 days. Maybe I'll bypass it this time. I'm not holding my breath, but it can't hurt to hope a little...

What I am looking forward to: So many things, but in the near future, my first doctor's appointment on June 28th (8 weeks).

5 Week Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 5 weeks

Size of baby: Baby is about the size of a sesame seed and looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human (according to BabyCenter.com) (I just saw on whattoexpect.com that Baby is the size of an orange seed.)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I've lost one pound. I'm definitely eating, but not using pregnancy as an excuse to go overboard (as I may or may not have done last time... :) ) I'm interested to see how different this pregnancy is, as far as weight gain goes. I'm about 15 pounds lighter this time at the starting point so I'm hoping to not feel as fat as I felt with Addison. I'm going to try to eat better and not give into every food craving I get.

Maternity Clothes: not wearing any yet but I have a strong suspicion that I'll be in them before the summer is over...(Thanks, LeeAnn, for the maternity shorts! I think they are going to fit wonderfully!)

Gender: Any guesses? I've got a poll up on my sidebar so that you can vote boy or girl. Jordan wants me to do one of the Intelligender Tests from the drugstore. It's supposed to be 80%accurate and will tell you the gender as early as 10 weeks but it's about $35! We'll see...I liked finding out at the ultrasound last time. One of my favorite moments of being pregnant was that 18 week ultrasound! I can't wait to do that again!

Movement: None yet, but I cannot wait to feel baby move! That was my favorite thing about being pregnant last time.

What I miss: I haven't had the chance to miss anything yet.

Sleep: Already noticing a difference. I'm having to get up to pee in the middle of the night and I'm really hot all night. Tossing and turning a lot.

Symptoms: I've had a few nauseous moments, but nothing too bad yet. It's bad when I get too hungry. I've also been dizzy a couple of times where I felt as if I might pass out.

Best Moment this week: Having Jordan kiss my belly and tell the baby "Goodbye" and "I love you." one morning as we were leaving for work! Sweet!

What I am looking forward to: So many things, but in the near future, my first doctor's appointment on June 28th (8 weeks).

Some News...

So... You may have noticed some changes to my blog recently. Such as the addition of a new ticker. That's right!

I'm Pregnant!!

I found out on Tuesday morning and told Jordan later that evening. I was going to try to keep it to myself for a few weeks, but it knew it would be too hard not to tell Jordan and once Jordan knows something everyone he talks to knows it (He cannot keep a secret when it's something he's excited about!) Also there was a circumstance that needed to be addressed and the fact that I'm pregnant went into play with it. So we told all of our family (that we could get in touch with *cough, cough, KYLA* :) ) that night. It was so much fun to tell everyone that Addison is going to be a big sister! My mom screamed and cried (all happy screams and tears of course!)

I am currently a little over 4 weeks along and I'm feeling good. I've started to feel a little, teeny, tiny bit nauseous in the afternoons. I'm going to stay positive and say that it's not going to get worse and it wont' be nearly as bad as last time!

We're praying for a healthy baby, boy or girl!

Diet/Workout/Fitness Tips....ha ha ha!!

So I have decided to jump on to what is the "Show us your Life" bandwagon! I've been reading this blog called Kelly's Korner and Kelly does a community link blog every Friday and calls it "Show us Your Life". She has done these for quite a while now, but I've just been slow to catch on and actually do a post to link up to it. And the topic for the week I chose to start with (this makes me laugh...): Workout/Fitness Secrets/tips! I know, What am I thinking??


I do not work out. My "work outs" include walking to the bathroom and back to teller line at work and going up and down the stairs from the downstairs to the bedrooms every evening. That combined with lifting a twenty pound baby all the time seems to work for me. I have never been a consistent exerciser. I took aerobics and was in the color guard (a flag girl) in high school, so I stayed in shape. Then my sophomore year in college I played tennis for the Salem Tennis Team and I waitressed, so I was somewhat toned. After that I started working for the Credit Union as a teller and gained like 15 pounds (you know, since all I did was sit on my butt and snack all day). Fast forward 3 years and there starts my story. This is my journey to lose ten pounds:


It all started about 18 months ago in July of 2008 when I decided I wanted to lose a little bit of weight. I wasn't overweight or hadn't suddenly gained any weight, but I just wanted to fit back into my "skinny clothes" from a few years earlier. So I didn't really actively go on a diet or start exercising, just tried portion control with my meals. I don't think I ever saw any difference and really wasn't that zealous with it.


Then in September, I got pregnant! It was a bit of a surprise, though definitely NOT unwanted (and really not even unplanned. I still don't know why I was so shocked. You know how people say they just know they are pregnant before they take a test? Well I was not one of those people. I was not expecting it)! So over the course of the next 38 weeks I gained around 36 pounds. (I know you are wondering what in the world this has to do with my quest to lose weight...be patient. I'm getting to that). Then my precious Addison came into the world in May 2009 and I immediately lost 6 lbs 13 oz (plus fluid and whatever else came out with her).

Over the next few weeks I saw pounds drop away. I was still very hungry and eating what I felt was a lot since I was exclusively breastfeeding (though looking back I was normally hungry but either too exhausted or too busy to eat regularly). By the six week check up I think I was about 10 pounds heavier than I was when I got pregnant. I was feeling pretty good with my body, although it was a very very far cry from perfect! Gradually I noticed my clothes would get loser and I would try on clothes that had been tight a few weeks earlier and they would fit. Then those clothes started to get lose and soon I was back into all my old pants and weighing in at my pre-pregnancy weight. But the weight loss didn't stop there. By 5 months I was about 7 lbs lighter and in December I got the stomach bug and got down about 13 lbs lighter. Now I'm about 10-12 lbs lighter than I was before. I am in a size TWO and it completely shocks me! I was a six before I had Addison. I had given away a lot of my smaller clothes while I was pregnant because (1) I hadn't been wearing them for about 3 years because I couldn't fit in them and (2) I just knew I would NEVER be that small again, so there was no sense keeping them, and letting them get me down because I couldn't wear them.

So that was my journey to lose 10 pounds! step one: get pregnant. step two: have baby. step three: breastfeed/pump for an extended period of time. step four: shrink. Yeah, I know it is not that easy for most people and I have a very strong feeling that as soon as I stop breastfeeding I will find those 10 pounds and then some!

I have used the Wii Fit and I liked it for about 3 weeks when Addison was about 5/6 weeks old (BEFORE my maternity leave was up. No time after I started back to work). It's a really neat way to work out and keep up with your progress. I just don't make the time for it right now. IF I had a gym closer to my house AND if that gym was free AND if that gym was empty of super fit and beautiful people that make me feel horrible about myself, maybe, just maybe, I would go and work out. But that is a lot of IF's and AND's so I think I'll just stay home!

Happy Working out/dieting. I'm sure I'll be joining the fun in several months after Addison stops nursing!

Coughing, Sneezing, & A Trip Down Memory Lane

So we are enduring Addison's very first cold *sniff, sniff*. She developed a cough on Sunday, only worsening from there. Monday the sneezing started and after listening to her cough all night long, I took her to the doctor for her fist sick visit. Thankfully, she didn't wake herself up and slept through the whole night. I, on the other hand, did not sleep, because every time I heard her cough, I had to turn on the video part of her monitor to check that she was still breathing. I have no idea how one can sleep through what can only be described as coughing up a lung, but my little sleepyhead did it. She was not running a fever, but she was pulling at her ears quite often. I was worried about everything from swine flu to an ear infection, but thankfully it's just a cold. I had to pay $25 to hear this, but it was definitely worth the peace of mind in knowing that there is nothing to worry about (Except that there is always something to worry about when you have a child. I'm told that the worry will never go away and I'm okay with that).

She has been a real trooper and hasn't let this cold affect her mood. She is still my happy baby. She is developing a quite the personality. She has certain toys that she likes better than others and she gets pretty upset with you if you try to take something away from her that she wants. She has figured out that she is able to move around a lot, so she makes it quite challenging to hold her sometimes. She'll reach out and grab things so quickly, it is hard to stop her before she has said item in her mouth. She is such a sweetie pie and it's hard to believe that she will be 6 months old in less than a week.

Going to the hospital to see Ellett brought back so many memories for me. The same doctor delivered Addison in a room literally just around the corner. I remember being wheeled from the delivery room to my mother/baby room and going past the nursery to drop Addison off. I remember the sweet nurse who was with me through the delivery (And I hate that I cannot for the life of me remember her name). I remember holding Addison for the first time with so much emotion and joy that it overpowered my exhaustion. I remember the first time I feed her (about 2 hours after her birth) and how she took to breastfeeding with such ease. I remember how alert she was right after birth; how she would just look around and how peaceful I felt. I remember the first evening we spent in the hospital and how we took turns passing her from visitor to visitor and when they were all gone for the night, we got her all to ourselves. That was such an exhilarating yet terrifying realization.

Going through pregnancy and giving birth was such an awesome experience. I really ache for the women (and families) who can't have children and want them. I have always wanted to adopt a child (and still do, hopefully in the future we will be able to), but I have always wanted to carry and birth a baby. I always took for granted the fact that God would allow me to do so without any complications. The ease of my pregnancy, labor, delivery and new mommy transition period, really blows my mind. God is so gracious! I am so thankful for the many tremendous ways me has blessed my life!

Thank you, God!!!

a little trip back in time...

So I finally uploaded some pictures from my baby shower back in April and these were just too cute not to put on here. Love it!! In front of the food table. There was so much yummy stuff!!

Mom, Kyla, me and Baby Girl Cline (AKA Addison, haha). Almost 3 generations... I love this picture of us. We all cordinate so well with our pinks and greens!

I am 34 weeks pregnant and LeeAnn is 33 weeks pregnant. I think it is so funny to see how differently we carried the babies.

Here's a close up of Salem and Addison. I love it!!

Me in Addison's room. I'll get some better pictures of it on here once I get some stuff on the walls. It's horrible that it still isn't "finished"!!

This is Me, LeeAnn and our great friend Bonnie. Bonnie and her husband Bobby are the leaders of our Innerchange group (young adult bible study) that used to meet. At one point they were only couple that was not expecting a child. So there were four of us pregnant at one time! Charlin had baby John on Feb 27 (I think), Jessica had baby Tyler on April 12th, I had Addison on May 17th and LeeAnn had Salem on June 8th. Bonnie is such a loving, wonderful roll model! I love you, girl!!

Bonnie, LeeAnn, and me.This was at LeeAnn's baby shower around the beginning of April. I'm going to say that I was about 32 weeks and LeeAnn was 31 weeks?? I'm not exactly sure. There's a big difference between this picture and the one before, right?

These are some great prints that Kyla made of the ultrasound pictures. I still need to get the framed. I love them!

This is one of the last pictures I have of my pregnant belly. This was the day after I turned 36 weeks; 2 weeks before Baby Girl Cline arrived. I got my hair cute right after this and now I wish I hadn't. So ture that pregnant women cannot pull off short hair as well. My face got so round!

Stretch Marks, Cellulite and Shedding, Oh My!

Okay, so I dedicate this post to new mothers (or old ones, hehe...j/k, we'll say seasoned mothers) out there. I just wanted to say a word about the affects that pregnancy/delivery has on your body. Don't worry, I'm not gonna get all detailed and gross, but here's my list:

1. Cellulite: I can't say that pregnancy was the cause of this one since, well, I had some before I got pregnant. I think that I will feel better if I blame being pregnant, though, so let's just pretend! ;). I will say that it got a lot worse when I was pregnant (36 extra pounds will do that) and then has lingered even after losing all of my baby weight and then some. I hate that it's there, but really, I don't look at my butt in the mirror that often, so I'm not the one who has to look at it (And really, I'm never in a bathing suit unless I'm at the beach and that is not very often either)! haha!!

2. Stretch Marks: I never dreamed I'd get stretch marks. I don't know why, but I really didn't think it would happen to me. Well, it did. I have them all over my hips and thighs and butt and, ahem..up top. They aren't that bad, but I hate them, too! They are at least silver now instead of bright red.

3. (This will be a short one) Hemorrhoids: one word: OUCH!! (I mean really OUCH!)

4. Shedding: I knew that this was a possibility, but I didn't notice myself having super thick hair while being pregnant, so I didn't expect to lose it all postpartum. And now almost 4 months out, my hair is falling out by the hand fulls! It tickles my arms and neck! It probably is made worse by the fact that I am growing my hair out and so it's much monger now than it was when Addison was born.

5. Shifting of Body Parts: I knew this would happen. Although I am about 4 pounds less now than I was prepregnancy(NEVER thought I'd see the day... Breastfeeding rocks!!!), my clothes are fitting all differently. My pants are actually loser on me and all my shirts are too short and too tight. That is an obvious change that's made a bit more lasting by the fact that I am breastfeeding. It surprises me that my bottom half is smaller now. I've given away so many pairs of pants thinking I'd never be back into them, and now I'd be close to them fitting great. I actually am wearing a pair of jeans that I haven't been able to wear since before Christmas 3 years ago (One of my surprise birthday presents, I wore them when Jordan took me out to dinner that night!!)

6. Digestion changes: Let's just say I miss the regularity that I had before I was pregnant. And taking into account my #3, this is not a good thing.

I can't think of anything else right now, but I'm sure there's more.

I say all of that to now say this: I wouldn't change a single thing!! I have minor annoyances from being pregnant. Some woman have horrible scars, disfigurement, conditions, that they have to live with, some with no baby to show for it. I want you to know that I don't take my blessings lightly. I thank God every day for giving me a beautiful perfect little girl who is growing and thriving. I am thankful for all of my motherhood badges of honor, no matter how annoying they may be to me. I feel extremely blessed when I think of all of the heartaches I have been saved from. God really does take care of us. I try to remember this when I'm tired or in pain or am just having a bad day. There is always someone who has it WAY worse than I do. I have been blessed way beyond words and beyond what I deserve.

Thank you, God, for always taking care of me and my family. Thank you for your grace and your Son who died for us. In His name I pray, Amen.