18 weeks

How far along: 18 weeks
How big is Baby: Size of a sweet potato
 Maternity Clothes: I was at the doc  this week and I was down 1 lb from the last time I was there but I think that  means I am gaining a little bit back though. My maternity jeans are the only thing I have started to wear so far. 
Sleep: Not doing too bad but I still have a hard time going back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night which I usually do.
Movement: I have felt the baby some and also I feel like this baby is down in my pelvis - I feel it down really low a lot of times
Food cravings: Not many actual craving but steak and potatoes. I had a week where it was pickles but thats all
Food aversions: Nothing really that I know of right now
Gender: Unknown but strong feeling it's a girl again
Symptoms: Acne, moodiness, tiredness
Nursery Progress: None whatsoever!
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat Weds at the doc office.
What I am looking forward to: Gender ultrasound on Oct 1

Theres been a lot of other things going on in my life so I haven't been updating here as much but things are as good as they can be with the other things going on. Just trying to work on a lot of things in my life and hoping for the best. It's def not where I thought I would be at this point in my life but I just have to have faith that things will be ok. 

Tricia is doing really well though. She just makes me so happy and laugh all the time. She's very silly. Picking up a few more words now (or at least trying to). Her tantrums are something to be reckoned with but that's just normal for her age so we are dealing. 

New siding on our house end of this week or early next. Excited for that! Hopefully they can do it quickly and get it over with. 

Feeling Better!

So I've finally been feeling better :) My appetite is coming back (after being down 14 lbs now) and I can eat usually twice a day a small meal. I am glad this time I don't really have any aversions to food like I did with Tricia. With her it was mostly meats but I'm lucky I don't have that this time!

Ben was gone all week in MI so I'm glad to have him home today. I've been working all weekend on getting our closets cleaned out and specifically  our computer room that will be the new baby's nursery. I think it's coming along pretty well so far. I have a bit more to do but most of the stuff in that room can be moved downstairs now. Although we are doing some new drywall down there right now so we will probably wait until that's done in a few weeks before we move that stuff.

The plan for our basement is to make it in to a big playroom for Tricia. Since I'm going to be home in the winter time on my maternity leave I want to make sure she has plenty of room to play and lots of toys to keep her busy. So we need to pick up a few toys for down there and we are getting a new couch and TV also. I think Tricia will enjoy having the room to run around down there in the winter time.

Today we have some shopping to do at Sams Club and Toys R Us. I have another baby shower coming up for a friend that I am helping with so I have to pick up some stuff for that and we need a few things ourselves. Hoping to just enjoy and spend some quality time with hubby today!

Ohhh and I should mention - my sisters shower was great! I will have to come back and do a post on that!

13 Weeks

How far along: 13 weeks
How big is Baby: Size of a peach
 Maternity Clothes: Still losing some weight (or at least haven't gained any) so nope not yet. I bought some though since mine were mostly summer clothes
Sleep: Getting some sleep at night but still hard  to get comfortable and up a few times a night
Movement: I'm thinking I've felt the baby a few times, not flutters but more of the "rolling" sensation
Food cravings: Still not much, mostly potatoes any way they come
Food aversions: Doing better here, not really anything in particular at any given time. Just here and there things are gross. 
Gender: Unknown but strong feeling it's a girl again
Symptoms: Nausea, boobs, acne
Nursery Progress: None whatsoever!
Best moment this week: Starting to feel slightly better with the nausea that I have been. Hearing the hearbeat on Monday at the doc office
What I am looking forward to: Going back to the doc in a few weeks and my nausea going away (hopefully!)

Doc Appt

So had a doc appt yesterday - everything looks good so far. Took her a minute to find the heartbeat which started to freak me out! But she found it but the baby didn't want to stay for more than a second so we didn't get to hear it for long. I don't remember them having that hard of a time finding Tricia's. I know she moved a lot but they were always able to find it pretty quickly if they lost it. After talking to the doc I get to keep my original due date which was Feb 16th. So only 4 days but I'm sure towards the end of this pregnancy that will be a big difference to me :) Also, I'm down about 12 lbs at this point due to the nausea. Not good but they don't seem concerned. Hoping that fades REAL soon. Now I go back in 4 weeks - the day after my birthday!

We will be announcing the pregnancy in about 2 weeks to everyone. I still haven't told to many people, some close family, a few co workers and maybe 3 friends. The others I wanted to tell I haven't be able to see so I guess they will find out on FB with everyone else.

11 week survey

How far along: 11 weeks
How big is Baby: My ticker says its the size of a lime!
 Maternity Clothes: Nope haven't had to get into those yet...I'm losing weight! 
Sleep: Ughh not good, can't get comfortable because i am a stomach sleeper
Movement: None yet!
Food cravings: Not much...sometimes sweets, a few times pickles, potatoes mostly though as strange as that sounds. All I want to eat and all that ever sounds good is potatoes.
Food aversions: Pretty much everything most days
Gender: Unknown but strong feeling it's a girl again
Symptoms: BIG swollen boobies, some cramping here and there, heartburn, nausea, constipation (see last post)
Nursery Progress: None whatsoever!
Best moment this week: I wish there was one....
What I am looking forward to: Doc on Monday to hear the heartbeat for the first time - fingers crossed!!

Heartburn, Constipation, and Nausea Oh my!

Yeah those three words about sum up my life right now (graphic but hey it's my blog!). The nausea started about a week after I found out I was pregnant. About 2 weeks of that and I went to the doc and got a script for Zofran. It works ok at times - but doesn't last too long. Just long enough for me to eat something and then it's over. I get heartburn most nights when I lay down for bed. Blah but tums usually help that thank goodness! The constipation is a new thing that just started in the last week and it has been awful. It's been making me even more sick to my stomach. I talked to my doc office and they gave me something else to try but it's still not helping yet. Hopefully it starts - well the cramping isn't as bad which is a huge plus but man it really needs to start working. If it doesn't by tomorrow I will be calling them again.

I'm scheduled for an appointment next Monday which can't come soon enough. I'm very happy that my docs have assured me we have a solid plan since I had the HELLP syndrome last time. I will be monitored starting at 28 weeks with an ultrasound, blood test and non stress test. At 32 weeks I will start  going every week for them to test me to make sure my blood pressure and platelets are ok. And they have assured me that no symptom will be overlooked since the hellp symptoms are so vague which made me feel better.

Can't wait to hear the heartbeat of this little one in my belly :) We are so excited for this - it's truly a blessing to be having another baby to add to our family. Especially since for a time we didn't think we would be able to have anymore! So now it's time to start thinking about the nursery and start enjoying this pregnancy with the baby. I definitely want to do maternity pics and include Tricia in them.


Now if I can just get over this other stuff I can really start to enjoy myself!!

In A Surprise Twist-June 23

**Originally written June 23rd

So in a very surprising twist of fate, I am pregnant. I am still in shock. Last week on Thurs I realized I was late. I had thought all week I was going to start by the cramping that I had but it never came. So Friday morning I decided to take a test and I was shocked to see that it was positive. We really weren't trying. I mean we were but we weren't. I had taken an OPK on a Tues and he was out of town already. It was positive but I didn't really think much of it. So now I just pray that everything goes ok. I'm so scared and nervous that my HELLP syndrome will reoccur this pregnancy but I am going to just keep as healthy as possible and monitor my blood pressure all the time. My first appointment is on Weds so I will be asking a lot of questions about how they will be monitoring me this time around for any signs of that condition.

I'm also nervous about how Tricia will react. She already points to my belly when I ask her where they baby is which is really cute but I know she doesn't understand yet. But that's ok....I'm sure we will make it work. We are looking forward to finding out the sex - kind of hoping for another girl because we already have all the clothes and stuff for a girl. But I am ok with either as long as baby and me are healthy!

So here is to a happy and HEALTHY 9 months! :)

Potty

Just have to log this wonderful day - my baby went pee pee in the potty for the first time today. It could have been a fluke, she did it with Ben's aunt earlier today but I think it's time to get on buying that potty seat!

The last few weeks...

The last few weeks have been pretty status quo.

I have been travelling for work - I went to Nashville May 20-May 23 for one of my work tradeshows. It was a good time - got the baby 3 pairs of boots :) She looks so cute in them! We also had a performance by Phil Vassar. It was a really good time! Then last week I was in San Antonio - It was nice and warm. I love being warm! But I worked really long days so we didn't have a whole lot of downtime at all. It kind of sucked and I barely got any sleep but there were some fun parties we had so that kind of made up for it. I was so ready to come home though.

Ben is still working in MI - he says only a few more weeks so we will see. I'm so over it. I thought it would get easier to say goodbye to him but nope...not at all.

I'm busy getting ready for Tricia's 2nd birthday party now. It's going to be in about a month. The theme is going to be minnie mouse -so red and black and white. I got the invitations done already I will just have to send them in probably 2 weeks. We are going to do a burrito bar for the food - very easy. I will get the beef and chicken fajita meat from Sams Club and put it in crockpots to keep it warm. Then I'm making my own salsas (probably 2 different kinds - maybe 3 - a red, green, and then a spicy red). I am going to do a cheesy dip too. Then all the  trimmings for the burritos - beans,sour cream, cheese, lettuce, onion, tomatoes, etc. I'm excited about it because we can relax and enjoy the party this year because all of it can either be done the day before or just be pulled out. So we are really looking forward to that coming up.

So many people in my life are pregnant right now - my sister and 2 of my friends. They kind of hit me hard but I'm so happy for all of them. I have to start working on planning my sisters baby shower after Tricias birthday. We already know where we are having it but now we just have to work on everything else. I think she has an idea for her invites already so we will start working on those soon. We may be using the burrito bar idea too for her shower which would be nice and easy to set up. I'm excited for her little one to get here now - I don't know how I am going to wait until October! :)

Well I'm glad to be home for a while now but not ready to go back to work tomorrow. It's going to be a long week after not being in the office a full week in almost a month! But first up cooking dinner for some friends tonight!

What a life

So things have been going along since last time I updated. Working, Ben working Michigan still, being a mommy, dealing with an almost 2 year old, trying to eat better, work out, etc.

Ben is still working in Michigan. I was hoping for it to be over by now but it's not. I went on a trip for work last week to FL and his time up there was supposed to be done after that trip but so far he is still up there. The trip to FL was nice but I was so bummed to come home and find out that he was going back up there. He's been there since last Thurs and he may be coming home tonight, if not he will home tomorrow sometime. I try not to get excited when he tells me he will be home early because it usually doesn't end up happening. Still hoping that it ends soon though but he won't give me a date yet.

On the baby front, well it's been rough. I would be lying if I said it wasn't. About 2 weeks ago though Ben told me he was tired of hearing about it and we agreed to not talk about it right now because we end up fighting usually. So I'm trying really hard not to talk about it right now but it's hard to not. I'm very anxious for it to happen and while I know some people say just relax and let it happen, they don't have my uterus. It's not cooperative so there's more to it then just relaxing. But with Ben being in another state, it's hard to even try, even on our own, right now. Which is another big reason I want him home. Today, we found out friends of ours are having twins. That hit me hard. I'm very excited, they tried for about a year to get pregnant and they will be great parents but it still hit me hard. Ben then started talking about trying again and doing treatments. But in order to do something like that he really should be home. We will talk about it more this weekend I'm sure.

Update on my beautiful little girl. Well she can be a demon most days :) But she is wonderful even through her tantrums. I do think she is moving into the terrible twos, you CAN NOT tell her no or take something away from her. Here a quick bullet list of updates:

-Saying: Dad, kitty, dog, duke (the dog), shoe, move, go, no - there's probably more I'm just not thinking of them right now. She is starting with more words though so I bet this list will expand pretty soon. Some of the words are only clear to me but I know what she's saying and that's all that matters :)

-She loves to be outside!! Loves loves loves it! She would never come in if we didn't make her. Most days she throws a fit when you do.

-She loves to watch movies now, I can get her to sit for about 30 mins and then she's up and about but comes back to it a lot to see what's going on

-Still drinking out of a bottle at night and for naps. Fine with me though. She's happy and that's what I care about.

-She has been waking up during the night a lot recently. Don't know whats going on but I give her a small bottle and she usually goes back to bed. Night terrors or scared maybe?

-She plays pretty well with other kids, she loves to go to the daycare at the gym while I work out (as long as I"m not the one dropping her off - see next bullet)

-Separation anxiety has definitely hit, mostly with me. Sometimes with hubby and a lot of times with my mom too

Overall she is just a great baby and I couldn't be happier with her. Minus the fact she doesn't like to give me kisses or hugs really right now but I'm sure she will grow out of that :)

Fail

Again, my IUI didn't work. I don't know where we go from here. I'm traveling over the next month or so, so we won't be able to do anything until June at the earliest if we do at all. Ben doesn't want to do anymore cycles but we will see. I'm devastated. I really thought it had worked this time....

Easter 2012

So we had a wonderful Easter! Hope everyone else enjoyed theirs!

Me and the baby met my parents at church this morning. I didn't get to sit through much of service because Tricia wouldn't stay in the nursery without me, she was scream whenever I walked out. So I stayed in there with her a while. Then we went back to service and then back to the nursery. We then went over to our Fellowship Hall for our Easter Egg Hunt. They had a small breakfast then a story and then it was Egg Hunt time! They let the little ones out first for about 2 mins and then the bigger kids came out. It was nice becuase she gotg a chuance to get some eggs before they came out. She got about 10 eggs. After that we headed to my parents house to see my sis and bro in law. I don't think Tricia was feeling well (maybe teething?) becuase she was pretty cranky. We put her down for a nap at noon then my parents and me and Ben headed to get some lunch at Cracker Barrell. After lunch we came back to the house and waited for Tricia to wake up. She didn't get up til 2:45! So we went to Grandpa Boyds for a bit to visit with him, Aunt Cathie and Aunt Carm. Next it was off to Ben's mom's for Dinner. It was pretty good and she got another basket! Such a spoiled baby - she got a total of 4 baskets and then the stuff my sister got her.

Overall a very good Easter but very tiring! I'm ready for a nap!!

IUI 2.0

Well IUI 2.0 was completed Sat morning. I went in on Thurs and my biggest one was 16 so she had me wait and give myself the hcg shot on Fri (well my boss gave it to me!). So Sat morning I went in at 8 am by myself (hubby was home with the baby) and everything went well. So we will see what happens now. Since my lutuel phase is usually 10-12 days we will know mid next week if it worked or not. Fingers crossed it did because I would rather not do it again. It's very hard to even talk to anyone about this so I would be happy to be done with it. Plus we would have to go on a 2 month break until June before we do one again due to schedules so here's to hoping!

In other news, I took my photography class after my IUI. It was down in Canton and so worth it!! I learned so much so that way I don't keep my camera on Auto  mode. I did get to put it to use at my friend's son's bday yesterday so I'm excited to upload the pics and see how they turned out. I will be doing that today :)

Not much else going on besides my hubby being gone again. So glad this is only for like 3 or 4 more weeks. I miss him so much during the week. This week he isn't coming home until Sat and so he will only be here Sat night and Sun during the day. The only reason he is coming home is because it's Easter. If it wasn't he wouldn't be coming home this weekend. Still don't know what we are going to be doing for Easter. I know we will go to Church but not sure where we are going for dinner. I know my MIL is cooking so we will probably end up over there.

I'm also pretty excited for my trip to Florida at the end of this month! My sister is coming with me which will make it even better. It's for work but I should have plenty of time to spend with her  too! Only 28 days until we leave!

It wasn't that bad

So I had a mini breakdown the day I found out I wasn't pregnant but I quickly realized that it wasn't going to do me any good to be that upset. It wasn't going to change anything. So I had some time to myself and moved on. We have decided to try another cycle this month. In fact probably Thurs. We will see. I had a ultrasound yesterday and she said my eggs aren't growing as quick this time around but she does see a few more than last time. So she debated whether Weds or Thurs I should come in and settled on Thurs. So I have an appt at 11:15 on Thurs to see how they are doing. She said something about it being free if I ovulated already? Don't know if she means that if I ovulate we will still do it to give me a chance but it will be free? Who knows. So we will see what Thurs brings.

I had a flooded bathroom last night and the back of the toliet hit my head so I'm not feeling all that great today. I can't wait til my hubby is home for good. On another note, we kicked his cousin out end of last week because he was not home like he should have been with me and the baby while my husband isn't home. He would rather run around with his girlfriend even though we gave him a free place to stay. This is the second time he has lived with us and we thought maybe he had grown up some but apparently not. he's more worried about being with his girlfriend then being home with me to help with little things while my hubby is gone. Oh well. I like the quiet and not having to worry about being dressed all the time haha!

Not much else going on right now. We did get a new kitchen table this weekend which is awesome. We have a small dining area in our kitchen and no standalone dining room. We had a regular sized table in there and it was just impossible to keep it because we had no room if you had the chairs around it. So we got a pub style table with 4 stools that actually go under the table when not in use. I LOVE it. We also spent some money and got 3 side tables, 6 chairs and a firepit for our back porch. I can't wait to use that firepit!