Baby #2 :: Twenty Seven Weeks

Last week of the second trimester! Woah. Like, serious Joey Lawrence woah.

Size of baby: A head of cauliflower according to BabyCenter and a rutabaga according to The Bump. Apparently we are moving away from the crown-to-rump measurements and going to head-to-toe measurements (although those veggies don't seem like 14 in to me!). Baby is about 14 inches long and about 2 pounds.

Best moment of the week: With the exception of some threenager behavior from our first born, everyone has been in really good moods lately. It just makes life's craziness much easier to deal with. Also, we bought our first brand new car! Unfortunately it's so brand new that we have to wait a couple of weeks for it to be delivered. I'm not so good with that patience thing!

Cravings/Aversions: Salt and sugar all day long. I don't even want to look at the scale.

What I love: Right now, a whole lotta everything!

What I'm looking forward to: SpringSpringSpringSpring. If I don't get out of this house soon I might explode. I just.want.to.take.a.walk.

Worries: Names! We have such a short list of names right now, and not by choice. We have a pretty solid front runner for a boy, but the girl names are just not happening. Luckily we haven't had too much disagreement. If one of us suggests a name but the other doesn't like it, we're pretty good at just leaving it at that. Everyone keeps joking that it doesn't matter anyway. We changed Noelle's name once she was born and it completely threw people for a loop. We had chosen Elizabeth Claire months before she was born and everyone was so confused when we said Noelle Jane was here!

What is different this time around: Feeling like I'm already 8 months pregnant!

Symptoms: Leg cramps at night, Braxton Hicks - overall, I'm feeling pretty good this week. I've had a lot of energy. This is very good considering how busy I've been at work, home, and on some side projects.

Sleep: Not bad. Hydration is the key to avoiding overnight leg cramps and I ditched the giant pregnancy pillow when I realized it was making things worse. That thing was a Godsend last time; just not the case this time around.

Boy or Girl: Leaning toward boy this week - yep, this will definitely change from week to week :o)

The belly: Feels huge!

Movement: Getting stronger and more frequent. Baby is definitely starting to have more of a "schedule". I love knowing when I can expect baby to be active, but I definitely don't freak out if it's not exactly the same from day to day.

Milestones: The previously closed nostrils have opened up and baby is practicing "breathing" through its nose. There is also lots of brain tissue developing so baby's brain is super active.

Weight gain/loss: Plus 3 for now. Next appointment is April 4 so I'll have a new number then.

Baby #2 :: Twenty Six Weeks

Size of baby: An English hothouse cucumber (huh?) according to BabyCenter and a of lettuce according to The Bump about 14 inches and about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.

Best moment of the week: Finally starting the biggest pre-baby project - starting renovations on Noelle's big girl room! Ripped up the old carpeting in preparation for new carpet and sanded down all of the orange-toned woodwork to get it ready to be painted beautiful, crisp white!

Cravings/Aversions: Wants=milk, peanut butter, fruit, pickles. Don't wants=eggs, string cheese (oh, the insanity!) - pretty much the same this week.

What I love: This belly :)

What I'm looking forward to: Continuing the big girl room renovations this weekend.

Worries: My anxiety has definitely taken a backseat this trimester and I am so grateful!

What is different this time around: More tired, more irritable, more achy - yep, I'm a joy to be around!

Symptoms: Meh, the usual - aches, pains, heartburn, crabbiness.

Sleep: I found that if I stay well-hydrated throughout the day I am much less sore at the end if the day and overnight. Of course this means I'm up once or twice to use the bathroom, but I can normally fall asleep fairly quickly.

Boy or Girl: Leaning towards girl these days, but I'm sure that will change. I honestly don't think about it very much. I'm sure some people who don't find out the sex before birth have a hard time thinking about anything else, but we're able to the focus off of it most of the time. Although, I did look up the Chinese gender chart (which was right for Noelle and is right for my friend who just found out she's having a girl) and it says boy!

The belly: Getting bigger every week! I'm definitely carrying the same as I did with Noelle - just a big basketball! At a work conference last week I stood up from my seat and the people around me (who don't usually see me in our building and didn't see me before I sat down) said they had absolutely no idea I was pregnant. Even though my shape is the same, I'm still definitely carrying lower. There are times I feel this baby is just going to fall right out (gross, sorry). I can only imagine what it's going to feel like in the last few weeks. Also, this week's picture makes me look huge! Although really, it's not the picture making me look huge ;) My doc did say I was measuring ahead at my last appointment, but not by much.

Movement: Getting stronger and more frequent. Baby is definitely starting to have more of a "schedule". I love knowing when I can expect baby to be active, but I definitely don't freak out if it's not exactly the same from day to day.

Milestones: The eyes will soon start to open and the eyelashes are grown in also. Baby is practicing breathing by taking breaths of amniotic fluid.The network of nerves in baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He or she may now be able to hear voices around me.

Weight gain/loss: Plus 3 for now. Next appointment is April 4 so I'll have a new number then.

Baby #2 :: Twenty Five Weeks

Size of baby: A rutabaga according to BabyCenter and a cauliflower according to The Bump - 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.

Best moment of the week: Hmm, I had a good week, but there's just not one big thing sticking out!

Cravings/Aversions: Wants=milk, peanut butter, fruit, pickles. Don't wants=eggs, string cheese (oh, the insanity!)

What I love: Feeling more frequent and stronger movement. When Noelle asks to feel the baby move or give her brother or sister a kiss.

What I'm looking forward to: Getting more things crossed off of the pre-baby to do list! Finally going to take on some major projects this weekends!

Worries: My anxiety has definitely taken a backseat this trimester and I am so grateful!

What is different this time around: Right now, just more tired, more often.

Symptoms: Normal aches and pains and mild heartburn. Starting to get some Braxton Hicks when I'm not hydrated.

Sleep: I found that if I stay well-hydrated throughout the day I am much less sore at the end if the day and overnight. Of course this means I'm up once or twice to use the bathroom, but I can normally fall asleep fairly quickly.

Boy or Girl: Still completely unsure.

The belly: Getting bigger every week!

Movement: Getting stronger and more frequent. Baby is definitely starting to have more of a "schedule".

Milestones: Baby is beginning to exchange that long, lean look for some baby fat. Baby is also growing more hair – and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture!

Weight gain/loss: Plus 3 for now.

Baby #2 :: Twenty Four Weeks

Size of baby: An ear of corn according to Baby Center and a cantaloupe says The Bump - about 11 in and just over a pound!

Best moment of the week: Taking Noelle to her first play! I've mentioned before that Bryan and I want to do what we can to have one on one time with Noelle before her world is turned upside down. I had a great opportunity when we saw that First Stage Children's Theater was doing Pinkalicious. What on Earth is Pinkalicious, you ask? It's a book about a girl who loves, lives, eats too much, and turns - pink, of course! We had a great time and I was so proud of how well-behaved Noelle was. The group definitely knows its audience as there were two, half hour acts and a 15 minute intermission. It was perfect!

Cravings/Aversions: Wants=milk, peanut butter, fruit, pickles. Don't wants=eggs, string cheese (oh, the insanity!)

What I love: Feeling more frequent and stronger movement. When Noelle asks to feel the baby move or give her brother or sister a kiss.

What I'm looking forward to: Getting more things crossed off of the pre-baby to do list! Really feeling the pressure here. We have a lot to do for Noelle's big girl room in order to re-nursery her current room!

Worries: My anxiety has definitely taken a backseat this trimester and I am so grateful!

What is different this time around: Aside from the worsening aches and pains, not too much is different at this point. Although, one thing I did realize recently is that I am much more "go with the flow" this time. I haven't cracked open a pregnancy book once and I barely utilize my pregnancy apps. I really like not being told how I "should be" feeling.

Symptoms: Aches and pains, mild heartburn, sleeplessness/insomnia. The aches and pains are pretty much sidelining me at the end of the night. Not fun.

Sleep: Even the pregnancy pillow isn't helping these days. My hips and lower back are very sore during the night.

Boy or Girl: Still completely unsure.

The belly: Getting bigger every week! I want to do comparisons of my pics from Noelle's pregnancy. I feel much bigger at this point than I did last time.

Movement: Bigger kicks, a roll here and there and my doc confirmed that baby is pretty low. Apparently this is normal after the first pregnancy because things have been stretched out. This makes me a little nervous for the home stretch. I remember how low Noelle felt at the end and how much pressure there was. What's it going to feel like when the baby is already that low?! Yikes!

Milestones: His or her brain is growing quickly now, and taste buds are continuing to develop. Baby's lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help air sacs in the lungs inflate once baby hits the outside world. His or her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Weight gain/loss: Ummm, so yeah...new total of plus 3 (previously minus 3). February was all about sugar. March will be a "clean up" month.

I was a complete slacker this week (aka I was insanely busy at home and work) and never took a weekly pic. Instead, you get a picture of my beautiful Noelle at Pinkalicious.

Baby #2 :: Twenty Three Weeks

Size of baby: A large mango according to Baby Center and a grapefruit says The Bump - about 11 in and just over a pound!

Best moment of the week: Bryan and Noelle finally got to feel the baby kick this week!! Bryan was excited of course and Noelle thought it was cool for about two seconds before running off to do something else!

Cravings/Aversions: Still on board with milk for the first time in a crazy long time.

What I love: Feeling more frequent and stronger movement.

What I'm looking forward to: Getting more things crossed off of the pre-baby to do list!

Worries: I have a lot more aches and pains in my very lower abdomen than I did before. Sometimes it worries me but my doctor told me its perfectly normal to feel like I pulled a muscle, and normal to actually pull a muscle.

What is different this time around: Aside from the new aches and pains, not too much is different at this point.

Symptoms: Aches and pains, mild heartburn, sleeplessness/insomnia.

Sleep: I could definitely do without the middle of the night insomnia.

Boy or Girl: Still completely unsure.

The belly: Getting bigger by the day!

Movement: The bigger kicks are also visible now! My whole belly moved right before Bryan felt his first kick! Baby must also be really low because I feel most of the movement super low in my pelvis.

Milestones: Yay for more and more lung development! Baby's hearing is also becoming sharper.

Weight gain/loss: Not weighing myself between appointments because the scales give such different numbers. Total of minus 3 pounds.

Baby #2 :: Twenty Two Weeks

Playing catch up today! I was 22 weeks on February 21.

Size of baby: A spaghetti squash according to Baby Center and a papaya says The Bump - about 11 in and 13-20 oz. It looks like the measurements are wide margins and won't be changing much from week to week, but more so on a monthly basis.

Best moment of the week: Finally getting some things crossed off on the pre-baby to do list.

Cravings/Aversions: Umm, craving ice cream and chocolate like nobody's business. Thanks a lot Valentine's Day.

What I love: Feeling more frequent and stronger movement.

What I'm looking forward to: The ability to breath out of my nose again and not using a box of Kleenex per day. I've had one of those nonstop head colds and it just will. not. go. away.

Worries: Feeling pretty good these days!

What is different this time around: My heartburn isn't as strong at this point compared to last time. Also, my belly button is pretty much an outie at this point, and I know that didn't happen until much farther down the line. And speaking of lines, my linea nigra is nowhere to be seen. I did have one last time, but I can't really remember when it started showing up, so it still might appear.

Symptoms: Still with the round ligament pain.

Sleep: *yawn*

Boy or Girl: I still go back and forth. I think my gut is telling me a girl, but I am just not one of those women who *know* what baby is.

The belly: Garnering lots of annoying, but completely innocent, comments from random coworkers.

Movement: Baby definitely has a pattern of awake/sleep times. I love that I know when I can expect, for the most part, movement. One thing driving me nuts is how much baby loves to aim for my bladder. So many of the kicks and punches land right there!

Milestones: Baby is looking more and more like a miniature newborn as the lips, eyelids and eyebrows become more distinct. Tiny tooth buds are also forming (insert sarcastic teething comment here).

Weight gain/loss: Not weighing myself between appointments so still at a total of minus 3 pounds.

Baby #2 :: Twenty One Weeks

Yikes - this post is a week and a half late! I was 21 weeks on Valentine's Day. I blame a very busy work and home schedule and the fact that I've been some degree of sick for a while now.

Size of baby: A carrot according to Baby Center and a pomegranate says The Bump (those two seem completely unrelated in size!) - about 10.5 in and 12.5 oz. I'm a little confused about the measurements this week. Last week was 6.5 inches and now it's 10.5?? I mean, I know baby is growing very quickly these days, but four inches in a week seems a little crazy. My iPregnancy app says 7.5 inches though, which makes me even more confused!

Best moment of the week: The ultrasound, duh!! As usual, my anxiety was completely unnecessary as the baby looks wonderful! Every other word out of the sonographer's mouth was about the baby looking great and perfect and wonderful! There is just no describing the amazing feeling you get from seeing your little one on the screen. At one point, the sonographer had to push down a bit to get the baby to wake up so she could check out a few other things. When baby did wake up, he/she gave a huge stretch and it was so awesome to actually "see" it happening! The stretch gave us an incredible view of baby's profile and I completely lost it because it was identical to Noelle (in both her u/s pic and real life). As soon as we got home we pulled out her u/s pics, and even though they're different angles and the current one is really blurry because baby wouldn't stay still, the likeness is so evident!

Cravings/Aversions: Eating lots of fruit these days. I also started drinking milk for the first time since I was a little kid! I have not had milk by itself for years and years and years. I just don't like the taste. But lately, I'm gulping it down at mealtime! 

What I love: Feeling more frequent and stronger movement.

What I'm looking forward to: A day with just mommy and Noelle. Bryan is going ice fishing on Saturday so Noelle and I have the day all to ourselves. We'll head to The Domes for a Polish event a group I belong to is putting on. After that we can do whatever we feel like! I plan to have a lot more mommy/daddy and me outings before baby comes.

Worries: Feeling pretty good these days!

What is different this time around: Something I was not expecting is the much, much worse round ligament pain. If I'm laying down on my right side, a cough or sneeze will send me into agonizing pain down the right side if my lower abdomen. I thought that since everything has already been stretched out once before, it would be better this time around. My doc said it's actually the opposite and is completely normal. She did say that as baby grows bigger this will get better for whatever reason. Hopefully she's right!

Symptoms: The RLP mentioned above, increased heartburn and...oh wait, that's plenty right now.

Sleep: Brought the giant pregnancy pillow up this week! Thing is huge and candy cane shaped and oh so comfy.

Boy or Girl: The ultrasound pics really have me thinking girl these days. The profile is just so similar to Noelle's that it's hard for me to think boy. Funnily enough, I was convinced that Noelle was a boy after my scan with her. Oops, sorry love!

The belly: That AM/PM difference I talked about last week? Almost non-existent now! I definitely feel like the belly had a growth spurt this week. So maybe that 4 inch change really is true!

Movement: Baby is super active in the evenings and I love sitting down on the couch and feeling the stronger kicks and punches.

Milestones: Aside from the crazy growth, the initial fluttering movements are turning into full-fledged kicks and nudges. The eyebrows and eyelids are also fully formed. Although, if this baby is like Noelle, he/she will have a crazy head of dark hair and practically non-existent eyebrows!

Weight gain/loss: Total of minus 3 pounds. I think this is the first time in my life I've been upset about losing weight! When I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office my heart just sank. Fortunately though, I am apparently the only one concerned as my doctor just laughed it off. She said in a few months I will be wishing I could complain about this! As long as baby's growth is on track and I am not anemic or feeling unhealthy, it's not an issue.

The pics are kind of hard to see, but here's a scanned picture of our ultrasound with Noelle:

And then another poor quality pic from Baby #2's ultrasound:

After looking at the pictures here, it's harder to see the similarities in the profile. I think that Baby #2's profile is identical to Noelle's "real life" profile more so than the ultrasound picture. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how similar they truly are!

Twenty Questions

Here's a combo Pinterest win/fail. I pinned this right before Noelle's third birthday and then completely forgot about it (side note: this is mostly what I do with all of my pins!).

The idea is that starting on your child's third birthday, you ask them this list of questions. I asked these of Noelle a few weeks ago and will continue here on out on future birthdays. I will of course do this with all our kids. At some point of your choosing you can make a photo book with pictures of the birthday kid and their answers. I think this will be the coolest thing to have!

Without further ado, Noelle's (sometimes hilarious) answers!

1. What is your favorite color? Pink

2. What is your favorite toy? Babies (dolls)

3. What is your favorite fruit? Oranges

4. What is your favorite tv show? SuperWhy

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Spaghetti

6. What is your favorite outfit? Naked!

7. What is your favorite game? Hide and Seek

8. What is your favorite snack? Fruit pouches

9. What is your favorite animal? Giraffe

10. What is your favorite song? ABCs

11. What is your favorite book? Princess Stories

12. Who is your best friend? Chase and Andrea

13. What is your favorite cereal? Fruitful O's

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play in the sandbox

15. What is your favorite drink? Apple juice

16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Tiger

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Daddy's pancakes (with bananas and chocolate chips)

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Some cake

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? An adult (said very matter-of-factly--duh mom.)

Baby #2 :: Twenty Weeks

Woohoo!! We've reached the halfway point!

Size of baby: A banana according to both Baby Center and The Bump - about 6.5 in and 10.5 oz.

Cravings/Aversions: I've been in a very snacky mood lately. Trips to Target and Trader Joe's for our upcoming Dells weekend prove this as the majority of food bought fits into that category. Trying my hardest to at least snack wisely.

What I love: I know I keep bringing this up, but I love having a husband who doesn't have to spend 30 hours a week on homework anymore!

What I'm looking forward to: Definitely our ultrasound tomorrow (Friday). Also, a weekend away with friends. Right after our doctor's appointment we are heading up to the Wisconsin Dells to spend a weekend with good friends who live in Minneapolis. Bryan and Mike have been best friends since first grade. Mike and Megan have a 9 month old son, Liam, who is our godson (Mike is also Noelle's godfather). We'll be staying at The Wilderness and Noelle is so beyond excited for the water parks!

Worries: I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about the ultrasound. I think I might be more nervous this time around. I've just had some bad feelings this week. They're completely unprompted and I'm guessing natural, but it still stinks to have these darker thoughts. Although we've had two brief ultrasounds so far, they were very basic and only gave us a glimpse if the baby. These kinds of things always work me up into a mini anxiety attack no matter what I do. I'd appreciate any prayers/good thoughts you can spare. We realized too late that it might not have been a good idea to schedule our Dells weekend right after the ultrasound because of the potential for upsetting findings. Hopefully everything will work out well. We'll at least be with good friends who we can absolutely lean on for support.

What is different this time around: Still the same feeling of wanting time to fast forward instead of slow down.

Symptoms: Being tired, moody - you know, the usual!

Sleep: Getting better, mostly because I'm just so tired these days. The "glorious" second tri is not as glorious the second time around. Chasing another little one makes you tired no matter what!

Boy or Girl: Starting to waver on this a bit - just don't have any strong feelings these days.

The belly: I should take an AM vs. PM picture. The difference is really crazy!

Movement: Baby was suuuuper active on Wednesday night as I was sitting on the couch. It was the first time I'd felt that much movement and it was amazing! Of course, when I got up to see if Bryan could feel them too (they were that strong) they stopped. :o)

Milestones: The baby's digestive system is getting into the swing of things as baby is swallowing several ounces of amniotic fluid each day and starting to producer meconium. Yippee for those first few diaper changes - blech. Baby also has working taste buds.

Best moment of the week: On multiple occasions Noelle has (completely unprompted by me) given my belly lots of hugs and kisses and has been talking to the baby too!

Weight gain/loss: As of my last appointment (at 16 weeks) I was at minus one pound - due to first tri sickness/weight loss. I'll get an update at my appointment tomorrow, but I'm really not sure what number to expect.

Baby #2 :: Nineteen Weeks

Size of baby: An heirloom tomato according to Baby Center (makes me anxious for our awesome vegetable garden) and a mango if you ask The Bump - about 6 in and 8.5 oz.

Cravings/Aversions: Still with the sweet tooth! I'm trying to not let it get too out of control as that is NOT the way I want to gain weight!

What I love: Feeling more and more little movements, even if they're not very consistent.

What I'm looking forward to the most: Bryan's parents, grandparents and one of his sisters are all coming into town on Friday night. We're going out to dinner to celebrate the end of Bryan's grad school program!! We're going to Maxie's and I absolutely can't wait. Love that place and it'll be so nice to see family. We also have my work's winter party this weekend, which will be held at the Milwaukee Athletic Club - yay for a nice night out!

Worries: Nothing this week!

What is different this time around: My feelings toward actually having a baby have changed greatly. That sounds kind of odd and not very nice so let me explain. The first time around I was so nervous and anxious to actually bring a baby home. I absolutely loved being pregnant and sometimes thought I'd rather stay pregnant than deal with the nervous breakdown that would come with a real, live baby. The nervous breakdown came as we were packing up and getting ready to leave the hospital, but we have obviously survived! This time around I just want the baby to get here already! I want to fast forward 6 months and have all of our house and baby to-do lists completed. This weekend Noelle and I even went through her box of newborn and 0-3 month sized items to get a feel for what we still need. Nesting is already kicking in!

Symptoms: Heartburn is starting to weasel it's way in more and more these days. This is exactly the time it came up last pregnancy. I remember wondering what was going on as I had never had heartburn before!

Sleep: Getting better, but still not great. Recently it's been more due to an achy body than Noelle, the dog or insomnia. I think I'll be bringing up my awesome pregnancy pillow soon. Seriously, that thing was so amazing last time!

Boy or Girl: Starting to waver on this a bit - just don't have any strong feelings these days.

The belly: I feel like its huge already! My belly button doesn't look it can hold out much longer! Still fitting into flowier non-maternity shirts, but those are getting smaller by the day.

Movement: Getting stronger and more frequent.

Milestones: The baby's arms and legs are more in proportion with the rest of the body and baby has more control over these limbs. Sensory development is also exploding. The vernix caseosa is covering baby's body and hair may be starting to sprout on the head. If this baby is anything like Noelle he/she will have a very full head of hair at birth!

Best moment of the week: Bryan finishing his grad school program on January 29th!!! It hasn't been the smoothest of roads these last 2.5 years, but we made it through! I want to do a separate post in this, so I'll just leave it at that.

Weight gain/loss: Not sure where I am here as I don't usually weigh myself between appointments. Aside from completely switching to maternity jeans because of the belly, most of my clothes seem to fit the same. As of my last appointment at 16 weeks I was at minus one pound.

*I have to apologize for all of the typos in my posts recently. I typically post from my iPhone and autocorrect doesn't catch everything. I pride myself on having good grammar and spelling, but that just hasn't been the case lately! I promise to do a better job re-reading before I post.