round 2 // 40 weeks

Time to go have a baby!

[We took these the morning we headed to the hospital for my c-section,

on my due date, at 40 weeks.]

round 2 // 36 weeks

Another bump update for you...

It seems like forever since I've had to take photos of my belly, and yet, we're another 4 weeks down, which leaves only 4 more weeks til this baby girl will be making some kind of commotion in our house!

The good news is things are coming along quite nicely in the room that Natalie will be sleeping in (at least until she sleeps through the night and can room with her big brother).  My wonderful husband picked up cabinets to outfit the room so I was able to reorganize and get rid of lots of stuff, and make room for the crib and the few little miscellaneous items we'll use in there for Natalie.

Somehow I'm cramming all her clothes, extra diapers, etc. in Deacon's closet and dresser in his room, so the only thing we'll need in the craft room/office is the crib, changing pad, diapering supplies, a hamper and the diaper champ.  We have all that figured out, space-wise, so that makes this mama feel much better.

And the craft room/office looks AWESOME!  I'll be posting about that on my house blog soon.

So I'm up to weekly ultrasounds and weekly NSTs (twice-weekly testing, they call it).  They're keeping a close eye on me and baby girl for the duration.  She's doing great, and I think I am, too, so we just get to enjoy more photos of her...[these are from last week at 35 weeks]

round 2 // 32 weeks

Happy new year!  32 weeks today, which, more importantly, means ONLY 8 WEEKS TO GO.

Yiiiiiikes!

I'm in a slight panic at the thought that we have 2 months left and I really haven't done the first thing to get ready for this child, except collect a few girl clothes from sweet friends.

At least she has a name.

I've been trying to just "get past Christmas" (isn't that terrible??) before trying to tackle anything, but in the back of my mind I knew that meant I really was only leaving myself a couple months to get ready for her.

NOT in the back of my mind anymore...now it's smacking me in the forehead!

So here's the bump comparison -- I look better here, in my opinion, than in my last one.  Go figure.

I had a doctor's appt on Monday that ended up being a little more involved than I planned.  At this stage of pregnancy, and especially with one who has hypertension (ahem, that would be me), it's pretty standard to begin weekly non-stress testing at my doc appts.  They hook me up to a couple monitors that will monitor the baby's heartbeat and movements.

So on the 30 min long NST Monday, they observed "variables that are concerning".  I asked for a little more information and they said variables could be anything from cord or head compression, lack of oxygen, decreasing placental function, etc.

Due to these "concerning" variables, they sent me for an ultrasound at which they performed a BPP (biophysical profile).  Basically, they watch the baby doing several different things for a longer period of time to make sure everything is okay.  These things include breathing practice (hard to imagine babies have to "practice" their breathing), heartbeat, moving all their extremities, etc.

Natalie got an 8 out of 8.

That's my girl.  :)

So nothing of concern to report and we got a few more photos of her...

This one tripped me out -- she was looking right at us!  She opened her mouth a couple of times...it was crazy to see.  I hope you can see her face, how she's looking out...

Jeff was off on Monday and had Deacon while I was at my appt, but when they decided to send me for an ultrasound, in case there was anything to it, I told Jeff I really didn't want to go by myself.  Bless his heart, he and Deacon met me and we all went down to have my ultrasound done together.  I thought Deacon would think it was really cool to see his sister on the monitor, but he seemed more concerned with mama laying on the table with jelly all over her belly..."you okay, mama?"  Every time I looked at him, he was looking at me instead of the monitor.  It was sweet.  Love that boy!

So I'll be back at the doctor's office Monday for my weekly appt.  Praying we don't have to do the ultrasound thing again.  It's great to see our little girl, but I'd like to avoid the drive downtown to the office that has the ultrasound equipment, thankyouverymuch.

round 2 // 28 weeks

Got another "bump" photo for y'all at 28 weeks.  I'm not digging how much my face is fattening up filling out and I never notice it until I look at photos of myself, but it is what it is.  I haven't seen a workout for your face.  So I'm just working out the rest of my body with this really great 30 min low-impact cardio workout video from Fitness Blender.  I try to get that in at least 3 times a week, and then get some walking in a couple times a week, too.  I'm definitely not in the shape I was with my first pregnancy (having been slightly obsessed with working out before getting pregnant), but I'm doing the best I can this time around with the variables differing as they are.

I had a regular OB appt on Monday, at which I took the 1 hour glucose test (drink some really sweet soda, wait an hour and let them take your blood).  They said they would call me only if the results were abnormal (i.e., I didn't pass).  5 days later, I'm still waiting on a call, so I guess that's a good sign. :)  Thank goodness I don't have to take the 3 hour glucose test (that's what happens if you don't pass the 1 hour test)!  I was a little concerned with Thanksgiving having been just last weekend.

I also got the DTaP (or TDap) vaccine for diptheria, tetanus and pertussis.  That was basically required of me since there's an outbreak of pertussis (whooping cough) in NC.  And that's why I got it.  I only get vaccines if they're required of me.  This chic is NOT a fan of needles.  The vaccine was fine but my arm was fairly sore over the next 2 days.

Dr. Hall told me that we're going to doc appts every two weeks now, whaaat??!!  I can't believe we're at that point already.  So I have my next OB appt in 2 weeks, and my next ultrasound the same week.  Hopefully they won't want to adjust my ultrasound appts to every 2 weeks too, because that is a HIKE for me to get to that office.

round 2 // 24 weeks

So I'm not a fan of this photo of me at 24 weeks (baby 2).  I think it's the maternity jeans I'm wearing.  I usually wear under-belly jeans, but these are actually over-the-belly and I think they are warping my shape.  Just sayin'.  It is what it is, but that's my theory.

I had a good doc appt this past Monday -- all looks well with baby girl and with me so that's good news.  We're just cruising right along!

round 2 // 20 weeks

Wow, halfway through this pregnancy already.  It seems to be going much faster with this one.  Probably because a lot of my attention is focused on a toddler (who's celebrating his 3rd birthday in a couple weeks!) that I didn't have the first time around.

They say time flies when you're having fun!

I had a regular OB appt, just a checkup, this past Monday and they say everything is still looking good.  The baby's heartbeat still sounds strong and there were no concerns about anything.  No news is good news!

We are getting ever closer to figuring out her name.  A lot of folks have been asking what we're naming her and we're waiting to share until we have her full name in place.  We have her first name which I think is the hardest to agree decide on so the hard part is done!  I feel like getting the middle name won't be as hard, though we have had a few conversations about it and it may not be as simple as I thought.  :)

round 2 // 16 weeks

Here's another "bump" update for those who are interested...

 [12 weeks comparison here]

 

Had a good doctor's appt this past Monday.  They said my iron was "great" (38% -- 33% or higher is preferred during pregnancy), my urine's good (sorry if I'm sharing TMI; it kind of goes along with pregnancy, yes?), the baby's heartbeat sounded good.

 

I guess the baby is about the size of an avocado right now, so he/she's pushing out a little more to make room.  I've just now started feeling very slight flicks or flutters or flips but only every now and then, not very consistently at all.

 

Random fact: after I eat, it looks like my food all settles at the top of my stomach, right under my chest, right above my belly button.  It's strange, but it makes me look much more pregnant than I am, right after I eat.

 

We find out in 2 weeks whether this baby is a boy or a girl.  I really don't have any hunches as to what it is, and I don't have any preference either.  I've really tried to think honestly about it and I can say that I will not be disappointed with either one.  We've had a blast with Deacon so another boy would be awesome.  At the same time, I'd like the opportunity to raise a girl, too.  It sure takes a lot of pressure off going to find out!   Can't wait!

round 2 // 12 weeks

Thought this would be interesting to share.  Only a slight difference, I'd say.  I've decided to do "bump updates" a little different this time, wearing regular clothes -- whatever I happen to have on that day, instead of the same outfit throughout the pregnancy.  I'm sure the jeans add a tiny bit to the girth, but that's okay.  People don't see me walking around in a tank top and workout pants most of the time (unless they catch me at 5 in the morning) so that's real.

 

A couple other differences between 1 & 2:

  :: Instagram!
  :: I look older more mature wiser in the 2nd one. 

I AM already a mama, after all.  :)

24 weeks today...

I'm 24 weeks today, or officially 6 months pregnant.  Whoa.  How did we get HERE already??

Here's the update on what's been happening with the baby from babycenter.com:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Whattoexpect.com has a little bit more to say for this update, so I wanted to share that, too:

 

Your baby is about eight and a half inches long and weighs one and a half pounds, gaining steadily at a rate of six ounces per week. Much of that weight comes from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. Those little ears of his are getting sharper and can hear very loud sounds, from a yapping dog to a jackhammer. Also by now, that fabulous face is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. Is your baby a brunette, a blonde, or a redhead? Actually, right now his locks are white since there's no pigment yet.

 

Funny.  We're eating corn on the cob tonight for dinner.  That puts things into perspective... :)

I know I said at 22 and 23 weeks that people were telling me I was starting to show...I'm still getting that from a lot of folks -- maybe it's the ones who haven't seen me in a while.  They've all been saying, "You're finally starting to show!" or "Look!  You finally have a bump!"  I guess that's pretty exciting.  I think so, anyway.  Jeff asked me today if I was glad to be looking pregnant (showing) or if it made me sad.  I said I was glad.  Maybe people can stop speculating that I'm just "getting a little chunky".  :)  No one has dared say that to me, of course, but you always wonder what people are thinking.  And what else can they think when there's no real evidence of a "baby bump" yet?

Here's what everyone's talking about:

23 weeks today...

I'm 23 weeks today.  There've been some exciting things happening this week.  :)

Whattoexpect.com described this week's development this way:

Your little doll-sized babe is about to chub up a bit. His saggy skin will start to fit his frame as fat deposits fill things out. Beginning this week, he'll start to pack on the pounds (which means you will too!) and by month's end he'll be double the weight he is now (though you won't be — whew!). Right now, your baby's organs and bones are visible through his skin, which has a red hue due to developing veins and arteries beneath. But once those fat deposits settle in, he'll become less transparent.

And here's what babycenter.com had to say:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

Yeah, our baby boy has been hearing the vaccuum quite a bit recently with guests visiting this past weekend and the one before.  All that sawdust that Jeff tracks in... :)

And as I said in my last post, he's been moving around a lot.  As a matter of fact, Jeff finally got to feel him move this past Friday!  We were sitting on the loveseat together, he was checking Facebook (on his phone) and I was reading.  I started to feel Deacon move around and start kicking so I watched for a little while and then told Jeff to "look here".  He didn't see the kick at first, but then Deacon kicked again and he saw that one.  He got a big grin on his face and said, "I saw that one!" and immediately put his hand over on my right side.  Jeff got to feel him kick a few times before Deacon figured out he was "performing" for us and stopped.  :)  I think Jeff was really excited to finally feel his boy kick.  I've been trying to stay conscious of when he's moving so that I can tell Jeff and he can have another chance to feel the movements.  Jeff gets kind of impatient sometimes and pokes my belly to get Deacon to "wake up" -- he talks to him, too, saying things like "wake up, buddy!" or "hey, Deac!"  It always makes me giggle.  :)

We had my brother, sister-in-law (who, by the way, is pregnant with baby #2!) and my niece here this past weekend and we had a good time with them.  Brandi and I were able to do a little shopping at the Clothes Mentor -- the place where I had pretty good success finding maternity clothes.  I was successful once again, finding another pair of capris and a couple of tops.  It's a good thing about those capris -- I can't seem to find any shorts and I only had the one pair of capris before.  I feel like I'm wearing the same 5 things every week, just in differently matched ways!

I had a few people comment this past week that I'm "starting to show".  I think everyone's all excited to see a belly on me -- not sure why.  Maybe it's because they've all been waiting a LONG time for us to start a family.  I feel like I've been out there for awhile but all the comments have been, "Oh, look!  You're FINALLY starting to show!  It's about time!" or "Oh, I can see a little bit of a belly now...'bout time you start looking pregnant!" 

22 weeks today...

22 weeks today.  Or as my husband mentioned the other night, 18 weeks to go.  YIKES!

It's kinda neat what our little guy has been up to this week.  Here's what babycenter.com says:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

And whattoexpect.com had this to say:

This week, your baby weighs in at a whopping pound and measures nearly eight inches (a bit of a discrepancy from the other website), about the size of a small doll. But your little doll (who now has eyebrows, eyelashes, and maybe even some hair on that little head) is a living one who can now perceive light and dark. He can also hear your voice, your heartbeat, your gurgling stomach, and the whoosh-whoosh of blood circulating through your body. And as his brain and nerve endings develop, he may reach for his face (or whatever he can reach) just to experiment with his newfound sense of touch.

Pretty neat, huh?  Um, a spaghetti squash is kinda big...

I guess that's why I look like this at 22 weeks:

Definitely a bump there now!  I've had folks telling me this week that they can see a bump ("finally").  I've been trying to tell them it's been there for awhile.  They say you all of a sudden "pop out" overnight it seems, so that must be what's happened, though I feel like I "popped out" a long time ago!

You know when we take these photos of my progress every other Sunday, my husband thinks he's doing me a favor by taking tons of photos -- says he's giving me "lots of options" to choose from.  Uh, yeah.  Well, this one that he took cracked me up and gave me a vision of what I might look like as a mommy in the future (excuse the blurry-ness; we weren't using flash):

That's my "mommy pose" -- "What did I JUST tell you, Deacon?  What did mommy JUST say?!"

20 weeks today...

We are HALFWAY there!  I can't believe I've already made it through half of this pregnancy.  It's incredible how fast the time has passed.

Some interesting tidbits in our update from babycenter.com this week:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)  **whattoexpect.com says from "crown to rump", he's the size of a canteloupe.**

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

 

How interesting that they'll be measuring TRULY how long he is from now on!

Since we're halfway through, I thought I would show you the last 4 photos of my progress -- at 12, 14, 16 and 18 weeks -- all together, before I show you my 20 week photo.

You can see a little bit of progress there.  And here's my 20 week photo:

I feel like I'm popped out more than the photos show -- maybe these pink pants just hold me in well.  :)  Either way, you can definitely see a "bump".  I've seen photos in different books I'm reading of different ways that women can carry.  I'm not sure what the actual term is, but I seem to be carrying from my just under my boobs (sorry, guys) all the way down.  None of this "basketball in my tummy" stuff.

It's kind of exciting to really begin showing.  :)  People are starting to notice, too -- I think mostly cuz I'm starting to wear more maternity tops, etc.  These are exciting times!

18 weeks today...

I'm 18 weeks today.  That seems like a significant number to me.  I'm not sure why -- maybe it's because in just a couple of weeks I will be HALFWAY through this pregnancy!  Incredible...

We had quite the exciting week this week, finding out I'm carrying a sweet baby boy.  And while we've had our excitement, our little guy has been having his own little excitement, growing and developing more and more.  Here's how babycenter.com describes his progress:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

At the ultrasound on Thursday, they did tell us that he weighs about 7-8 oz so he's right on target according to this description.  Our u/s tech told us you could fit him in the palm of your hand right now.  I saw Jeff look down at his hand when she said that.  Awww.

I haven't felt any movements yet -- not that I know of, anyway.  I've heard & read how lots of people describe the feelings of movement so I'm on the lookout for those, understanding that my body is still doing its natural functions, just like always.  Hopefully, I'll be able to recognize when it's our little guy soon.  :)

 

As a side note, now that we know it's a boy, we'll hopefully be able to start looking seriously at the things we'll need and be able to get registered soon.  I have been looking at crib bedding for both up to now.  Having this new information, Jeff and I are working to narrow down our choices.  It's kind of frustrating at times since we don't always agree, but exciting and fun, nonetheless, to be planning our baby's nursery!

 

Here's my 18 week photo:

 

17 weeks today...

17 weeks today -- good gracious!

There have been big things going on for our little one this past week.  This is what babycenter.com says:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

I'm not too keen on the idea of my baby being compared to a turnip -- I'm not a big fan.  But it is what it is.

This is how whattoexpect.com describes the progress:

 

How big is your baby at 17 weeks pregnant? About five inches long and more than three and a half ounces — the size of your open hand.  Body fat (baby's, that is) is beginning to form and will continue to accumulate through the end of your pregnancy. By the time your baby is born, body fat will make up about two-thirds of his or her weight (and will make all those chubby parts especially yummy).

Your baby is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle your baby (and also get him or her used to such noises; for instance, fetuses who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through Fido's outbursts). Your baby's eyes (which have fortunately finished their migration to the front of his or her head) are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed. And since practice makes perfect, your baby is sharpening his or her sucking and swallowing skills in preparation for that first (and second…and third) suckle at your breast or bottle. In fact, most of the survival reflexes that your baby will have at birth are being perfected in utero right now.

 

Amazing to think that all that has been going on this past week...

 

This is an off week for me to post a photo (I've been posting them on the even weeks) but we went to a wedding over the weekend and it's the first time I look pregnant in a regular photo so I thought I'd share it.  A lot of people have been waiting for that baby bump to make an appearance...

uh, your uterus is showing...

I bought my first pairs of maternity pants/capris this week.

I'm not so much concerned about the top situation -- my mom sent me a maternity top almost as soon as she found out I was pregnant, bless her heart.  Said she couldn't help herself.  :)  I also got a few tops from my friend, Allison, to use.  And I, myself, have picked up a top that isn't maternity per se, but is that "baby doll"/empire waist style that everyone is wearing.  That'll work.

But the bottoms situation?  TOAHtully different.  I'm to the point now where not really ANY of my pants/capris are comfortable anymore.  Oh, they're fine for awhile.  Until I have to sit down.  :)  Which is what I do for MOST of the day at work.  So I'm a little worried about that part of my clothing situation.

Tuesday night, I found myself at our mall and decided to check out JC Penney's maternity department.  I usually have pretty good luck there with general clothing needs; hadn't ever looked for a maternity department.  Well, I almost missed it!  Which seems to be a pattern -- the maternity department in any regular department store like that is really tiny.

So I was excited when I found a few racks of khakis, capris and jeans.  Tops, too, but I'm not worried about those right now, as I said.  I tried on about 7-8 pairs of jeans with no luck.  Ugh.  Well, that hasn't changed with the pregnancy.  I had a terrible time finding jeans when I WASN'T pregnant -- guess that will still be the case.  So no jeans.  But I'll keep looking.

I did get a pair of khakis and a pair of capris.  I figure those will have to do for awhile.  I'll just change it up with different tops.  And accessories.  :)

I did go into the Motherhood Maternity store at the mall but didn't really find anything.  I was mainly looking for a pair of jeans since I didn't find any at JCP but didn't have any luck there.

I know that I just posted a photo for 16 weeks and there really wasn't much of a bump there, but trust me when I tell you, there is now!  I guess it's just like everyone says -- it seems to happen overnight.  Everyone still says I don't look pregnant, that I don't look like I've gained anything, that they can't see a bump but it's there, people.  I did NOT have "this" before I got pregnant, so what else could "this" be??

It's a baby, that's what.  A baby bump.  :)