16 Weeks

 Backyard Belly, September 16, 15+0

September 25, 16+2

September 29, 16 weeks 6 days

What Fruit are you? Baby is the size of an avocado this week!  (Last week it was a navel orange).

Due date:  March 10, 2015 

How far along:  16 weeks + 6 days 

Gender:  PB is still team blue.  I'm leaning more toward team blue but I can't name a boy to save my life.  I'm sorry baby.  You have no name.  Mama's trying. Promise.

Total weight gain/loss:  Think I'm up about 5 pounds, though I haven't weighed in a few days.  Started about 143, now I'm at 148.something.

Stretch marks: No, but still using Palmer's stretch mark cream religiously.

Swelling: None.  Wedding rings still fit.

Maternity clothes: Embracing the maternity stuff. Wondering why all pants don't have elastic waists.

Belly button: Popping out! It's popped out a lot in the last week but it isn't so bad yet that you can see it through my shirts.  Soon though.

Sleep: As long as PB is in the guest room or I'm in the guest room or PB is at work, I sleep great.  Like sleep-so-deep-you-don't-remember-where-you-are-when-you-wake-up deep. 

Food cravings:  Candy! All the candy.  Especially the fruity kind I love.  Fountain sodas.  I'm sorry baby.  *Guzzles more diet Pepsi.*

Symptoms:  No more headaches, knock on wood, but the dreaded pregnancy sciatica started rearing its ugly head yesterday.  Thankfully it seems calmer today (I guess because I've been sitting more at work than I was at home yesterday).  I know we aren't in the clear yet though.

Movement: I've only had 2 episodes of definite movement.  I had a bunch of movement right at 15 weeks but then nothing since then except one tiny little flutter.  This is a quiet baby!

What I miss:  Not a lot right now!

What I’m loving:  Ira is saying "truck" constantly.  But the "tr" sounds like an F.  No wait, it doesn't sound like it, it IS an "f" sound.  So when you ask him what daddy does and he says "Truck! Woowoowoowoo [siren noises]" it's pretty amazing.

What I’m looking forward to:  I NEED to find out.  Boy or girl.  Right this minute. (Not changing this answer from last week.  Still on my mind.  Can't even think about names til I know.  Have to know.)

Best moment this week: Nana has been in the hospital this week, so I won't lie, things have been a bit rough.  Ira misses Nana, I miss Nana, we all miss Nana taking care of us and I'm not even that good at taking care of me and Ira and PB so I feel like I can't do much for her.  But despite that, things have been okay.  She got out of the hospital after a week and is home now.  We went to see her the other day and Ira had a great time seeing the cows with Pa-Pa.  

[Insert obligatory weekly photo dump here]:

"Come, cows.  Treat, cows.  Moo, cows!"

Seeing Nana in the hospital.  Ira hearts Nana.

Ira also hearts Pa-Pa and nearly passed out while having his little hairless head rubbed.

Ira likes to put "face make" on Peggy while I get ready.  Peggy is amazingly tolerant of this.

13/14 Weeks

Never let it be said that I only showed you my "highlight reel" and not the grungy, scary reality, because here it is folks.  13 weeks after a long day in the sketchy work bathroom.  

Perhaps we should start with the differences between baby 1 and baby 2.  Baby 1 - you get weekly updates complete with every burp, toot, and doctor's appointment.  Baby 2 - you maybe get one update a trimester (I'm sorry baby 2, I'm trying for you) and you barely remember your doctor's appointment because Baby 1 thought that either a) he was going to get a shot while you were there or b) they were going to kill mama and cart her away, never to be seen again.  So there was a lot of screaming and crying, despite PB's best efforts at distraction via fruit snacks.  

But now that we are past the "you don't really look pregnant, just maybe like you drank a lot of beer and ate a lot of pizza" stage, I'll try to be better about updating.  And remembering.  And not ignoring you, baby 2.  We do love you so! 

What Fruit are you? Baby is the size of a peach this week! Too bad my belly is MUCH LARGER than the size of a peach.

Due date:  March 10, 2015 

How far along:  14 weeks

Gender:  PB swears it's another boy because most of my symptoms have been extremely similar.  Me? I'm still leaning girl...but I'm much less convinced.  I don't know! I'd like another boy, honestly, but we will see on October 10!

Total weight gain/loss:  I've kind of yo-yoed in the past week but as of today, I'm up about 1.5 pounds from pre-pregnancy weight.

Stretch marks: No, but the belly has started itching from time to time so I busted out the Bio Oil and Palmer's Stretch Mark Cream.

Swelling: None.

Maternity clothes: Ohhhh are we ever in maternity.  I can still slide into non-maternity shirts but it just looks really weird and like I'm a big fatty so I prefer to wear the tighter maternity stuff at this point.  

Belly button: In for now.

Sleep: I've been passing out on the couch by 9pm.  It's really cut into my tv habit! So don't tell me what happened on the end of Big Brother last episode because I still haven't found time to watch it after I passed out during our initial viewing.

Food cravings:  Those have calmed down a lot.  I still want subs occasionally...and now that I'm in a fall mood I've been buying pumpkin everything (but I do that when I'm not pregnant so I don't know that that's a craving).

Symptoms:  The headaches have been killer in the past couple weeks.  I haven't gotten more than 4 or 5 but when I have them, they're terrible.

Movement: I haven't felt much of anything yet, but maaaaaybe a few flutters I could classify as movement? It's starting to be uncomfortable to lie on my belly at this point because I can definitely tell there's a baby in there.

What I miss:  I would love to have a Harvest Pumpkin Ale, especially since teachers eat free at the wing place on Tuesday nights and that would go SO well with some spicy wings!

What I’m loving:  That my job is a bit lower stress this year.  I don't go home every day feeling like I want to run away.  

What I’m looking forward to:  I NEED to find out.  Boy or girl.  Right this minute.

Best moment this week: Taking Ira to the fair! He loved the pumpkin funnel cake, the fried fish, the spinning pirate ship ride, the train (until it broke down), and all the animals.  He especially liked the "puppies" (large goats in the petting zoo).

Some news...

We are pregnant again!  Yep, Ira is going to be a big brother to a new little person due March 10, 2015.  Last time, I was due March 5 so the little folks will be almost exactly 2 years apart.  We were going to wait and try to have kiddos 3 years apart, but PB and I sort of decided all of a sudden that we both felt like 3 years is too long to wait.  We want them to be buddies (even though I know they'll give each other a few black eyes over the course of things).  Two years just seemed like a better time, so a few weeks later we found out we were having another little friend!  I'm seven weeks as of yesterday and haven't been to the OB yet, but I figure now is as good a time as any to start weekly pregnancy updates.  I so loved having these with Ira! 

What Fruit are you? Oh, the fun fruit question.  This week, baby is a blueberry!

Due date:  March 10, 2015 (Ira was due March 5 but I went into labor at 39 weeks and he was born February 27, so I'll be interested to see what happens this time around!)

How far along:  7 weeks

Gender:  No ideas at this point! 

Total weight gain/loss:  I've lost about a pound (though I'm still up 10 pound from my prepregnancy weight with Ira...such is life).

Stretch marks: No, and hoping I can avoid them again. Fingers crossed!

Swelling: None.

Maternity clothes: I'm not showing at all yet (just have residual baby weight from last time) so everything pretty much still fits.

Belly button: In for now.

Sleep: I've been having crazy dreams about twins and having babies in a sailboat and all manner of insanity.  And when I'm not dreaming, I can't sleep!

Food cravings:  The other day I had to go immediately to Jimmy John's for an Italian Nightclub sub and it was amazing.  And I'm already thinking about another one. Other than that, I've been eating a lot of fruit, just like last time.  Also I made PB go get me a witch doctor from What-a-Burger the other day, which I haven't had in years!

Symptoms:  I've been slightly more nauseous this time than last, and I find I wake up feeling a little gross but I get better as soon as I get some food.  I need to eat every few hours but otherwise I'm doing ok!  I've also been really tired, which I think is exacerbated by chasing a crazy toddler.

Movement: To be honest, I've been feeling some little strange flutters here and there.  But then I convince myself it's just gas and move along.

What I miss:  I do miss a nice cold beer every now and again.  And not feeling gross and exhausted!

What I’m loving:  Being home with Ira this summer! We have been to the beach, the lake, the splash pad, toddler story time at the library, and the park.  I absolutely love this age - he's so much fun to play with.

What I’m looking forward to:  Our first appointment next Thursday to hopefully see this peanut!

Best moment this week: Taking Ira to the park and watching him climb on the equipment and slide all by himself! 

13 Weeks!

I think this was technically 12w 4d but it's my only non-bathroom picture this week.  Felt a shame not to include it.

This is 12w 6d - mainly so you can see my weird, stretched out belly button!  Creepy, I know.

And this is 13w 1d.  Whoa, belly.

Marination Time: 13 Weeks

Due Date: March 5th, 2013

Boy or girl: I still don't know...and it's driving me absolutely crazy.  But I'm also sure it's a boy.  We'll see.  I go back to the doctor next Wednesday and I'm switching doctor's offices, so I hope that they'll give me an ultrasound.  We'll see!

Currently Craving: EVERYTHING.  I am starving to death.  I am getting "hangry" (hungry + angry). Like right now, in fact.

Currently Avoiding: Still most meat, even though I was able to eat turkey bacon when we had breakfast for dinner last night (and regular bacon at breakfast with my parents on Sunday).  Score one for bacon!

Weight: I can't keep up with the weight gain/loss mess because I was on a super strict diet before I got pregnant and that always involves some rebound weight gain.  So you know what?  I'm going to throw it out there.  Real numbers, folks.  

As of today - we're 136.6.

Belly button status: In - but it is about double it's width.  WEIRD.

Sleep grade: I've been sleeping pretty well, but I am starting to get a lot more uncomfortable on my belly.  So excited that the giant pregnancy pillow that Mom ordered for me came today!  I want to go to bed right now so I can get my happy hips on that thing.  It's fantastic.

Recent Crazy Dream:  I dreamed last night that a teacher friend of mine had a pet squirrel and she was over visiting me and Peggy Sue maimed his arm.  I tried to fix it and I couldn't and it was terrible.  Recently, I've also been dreaming about a baby boy who takes his diaper off every time I turn around.  Let's hope that's not a premonition.

Evidence of pregnancy brain: I've forgotten my phone when I left for work not once, but twice this week.  So annoying, and so not like me.

Symptoms?: Just feeling like a giant and my clothes not fitting so well these days.  And being hungry.  Hungry hungry hungry.  Also, since yesterday I have been having terrible shoulder pain under my left shoulder blade.  Like take-your-breath-away-when-you-take-a-deep-breath pain.  So annoying and I don't even know how I would have pulled a muscle or anything.  Just weirdness.

Emotions: I've been too tired to have emotions what with the first week of school starting.  5am is kicking my tail.  Also my second block is kicking my tail.  I don't know why God decided that this was the particular group of children I would have to take to lunch every day, but whatever I did to deserve it, I'm sorry.  They're not bad, they're just mostly boys and they are ALL "spirited," for lack of a better term.  Wears me out.

Movement: The last few nights I've sworn I've felt a little weird something when I lay down at night and get still.  Probably just by-products of all the food I've been eating. Maybe soon we'll have definitive movement though.

Names: Boy name is in stone, I think because I'm so sure it's a boy.  I'm sort of between two girl names...still like Frances but I have another that I haven't been able to sell PB on yet.

Any appointments?: I'm switching back to my old OB's office and hospital and I am SO excited about that.  Hoping they'll give me an ultrasound because I'm technically a transfer patient now.

Any baby related purchases?: Not this week!  Just got some winter maternity clothes from zulily and the awesome pregnancy pillow that Mom got for me.

Best thing to happen in the past week/ Worst: Best thing?  Probably that PB got a new job that he's really excited about, which means he no longer works far away at the hospital, which means I don't have to drive to that particular far-away hospital for appointments and delivery anymore.  Worst thing? Having to get up early because school's in again.  I love all the new kiddos, but it's just been hard to get up for sure.

10 weeks!

Thoughts on the Weekly Photo: Well first, sorry that you have to see my naked belly. But in the interest of documentation, there it is.  And I am starting to think there might just be a little tiny bit more roundness than there was, and you couldn't tell at all when my sort-of baggy Target t-shirt was in front of it.

Marination Time: 10 weeks - though technically this is 10 weeks, 2 days, because weeks change on Mondays for our purposes.

Weight Gain: Back up to pre-pregnancy weight. It's just sort of a yo-yo effect these days depending on how much I feed my face vs. how many miles I manage to run.

Clothes: Based on my awful $10 stretchy capri pants, you might think Oh poor Meredith's clothes must already not be fitting! She is relegated to the horror that is Wal-Mart capri pants! You would be wrong. All pants still fit. I have no justification for the pants. It's couch time, that's all I can say.

Fruit of the Week: This week, it's the size of a prune.  This was accompanied by a quite ugly picture on thebump.com.  I'm ready to change to a cuter fruit next week!

Name: Ira? Frances? Time will tell...

Moving: Again, The Bump says the prune can move, but I can't feel anything yet.

Sleep: Not awesome. I tend to wake up and then not be able to go back to sleep for hours.  Hopefully some of that mess will resolve when I go back to work and have to stick to a real schedule and do something besides sit on the couch all day.

Cravings: I've been tearing up some peaches we bought on the way back home from a little beach weekend I took with my mom and grandma. Also, I ate a whole loaf of sourdough bread from this little place in Locust, NC called The Fresh House.  Oh my word, you have never ever had bread like this, I promise.  It's like a cloud.  And now I have no more, and it's all I can think about.

Annoyances: I feel bad even putting anything here because I feel like most folks are super sick at this point, but I have zero feelings like that.  In fact, most of the time I feel like I could run a marathon.  But if I had to pick something, I guess it's that I still have a huge aversion to most meat.  I don't want to smell it, I don't want to see it, and I sure don't want to eat it, yuck yuck yuck.  This is difficult when you live with a man who eats two hot dogs for breakfast and two more for lunch if he's at home.  I feel like my kitchen perpetually smells like hot dogs and I cannot stand the smell of hot dogs.  I may never eat another one.  

Highlights of the Week: I'm getting together with some of my teaching friends both tomorrow and Friday.  We're going to see a sweet new baby tomorrow, and then to hang out with another of my friends and her adorable baby and three year old on Friday.  Beats sitting on the couch and watching dressage and water polo all day!