Baby Update · Daily living

Baby #2: Week 12

Well, week 12 was not as great as I thought it would be. I feel like the symptoms that were subsiding in week 11 just popped right back up in week 12. How unfair!

How far along: 12 weeks on 14 Nov 2017
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a lime or a toy soldier
Gender: I still am leaning toward boy
Weight gain: none (-6 lbs)
Symptoms: Nausea, back pain, vomiting, fatigue, food aversion
  • Well, the nausea was easing up, but I feel like as my cold symptoms lessened, the nausea picked back up again.
  • Minor and occasional back pain… same as I’ve been having.
  • So apparently I got a little too smug about not getting sick at all this pregnancy… the first day of week 12 I ended up throwing up in the bathroom before dinner. I had tried eating some banana to calm my stomach, but it didn’t work this time. I thought for sure if I had made it this far into pregnancy without getting sick, I was good to go. And then the universe laughed at me.
  • I’ve been pretty tired, and I still don’t know if it’s this persistent cold bug or pregnancy. Bad mom confession: I shamelessly got Gerrit some cereal, put a movie on, and went back to bed for an hour more than once this week.
  • Food and I continue to not really care for each other. It’s frustrating to like something one week and be grossed out by it the next week. I feel like there’s so much food going to waste because the things I tolerate keep changing.
Maternity clothes: No, although the weather cooled down enough that I’ve been living in leggings. So comfy. Please, just stay cool, Texas.
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in
Sleep: Fantastic! Gerrit has been sleeping through the night (WHAT?!) about 80% of the time, and I’m loving it. Without any wake-ups, he’s sleeping fewer hours though, so I need to start getting used to earlier mornings. Which means no more crocheting into the wee hours. 😦 
Best moment this week: Family photos! You wouldn’t believe how hard it was to schedule photos this year! Andrew’s cross country trip kept getting moved around to different weekends, so our family photos got pushed a bit later than I was hoping. I’m so excited to see how they turned out, especially because our big announcement was part of the photo shoot!
Miss anything: Nothing really. Still missing my ability to just eat. I don’t mind the decrease in appetite, I just wish more foods sounded good to eat.
Movement: not yet
Cravings: Wheat Thins, string cheese, anything pasta
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving! We haven’t really made plans, but I’m looking forward to having Andrew home for a long weekend. We’re all happier when we’re all home together.
Baby Update

Baby #2: Week 11

Ugh, this week was rough, and I can’t blame it on pregnancy. The cold that I caught really slowed me down. I feel like I caught a Man Cold for how crabby and whiny I was about it. You would think that Gerrit and I being sick at the same time would be a little bit of a good thing, because we’d both feel like snuggling, relaxing, and taking it easy. Hahaha… have you met my child? Nothing slows him down. His energy level barely took a dip, while I was trying to just live on the couch, drink tea, and eat chicken soup. Moms should NOT be allowed to get sick! Thank goodness MY mom was still here to step in for me AND take care of me. I’m seriously still just so thankful she was here while I was sick, because she was an absolute lifesaver. Just move in with me, okay, Mom??

How far along: 11 weeks on 07 Nov 2017
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a fig or a poker chip (about 2″ now!)
Gender: I still am leaning toward boy
Weight gain: none (-7 lbs)
Symptoms: Nausea, breast tenderness, back pain, some fatigue, low appetite, cramping
  • The nausea is easing up! I really only had it for the start of week 11.
  • Boobs are still a bit tender, but I feel like that’s subsiding too.
  • Minor and occasional back pain. Toward the end of week 11 I had more back pain though.
  • Definitely tired, but I’m attributing that more to the cold bug and less to pregnancy.
  • Appetite remains low. Not sure if that’s from being sick with a cold or just pregnancy. I still often just don’t even know what I feel like eating. Nothing sounds good.
  • I had some cramping in the middle and toward the end of week 11, but when I looked it up, it seemed very normal for the growth happening in the uterus this week. I wasn’t too worried, but I was relieved that it was a common symptom of week 11.
Maternity clothes: No, although I’m generally favoring looser fitting clothing. I can button my shorts with no problem, but I just don’t like feeling that tightness on my lower belly.
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in
Sleep: Eh… being sick screwed up my good sleep. But having my mom here meant I got to sleep in pretty much every day. 
Best moment this week: Waking up to homemade chicken noodle soup simmering on the stove (I love you, Mom!). She seriously picked up the slack for me while I was sick. My other best moment was picking up the baby’s heartbeat on our home Doppler the day we hit 11 weeks! I sent a Snapchat to my sisters and mom of the heartbeat, and we were able to find it again when Andrew came home from work that day. 🙂
Miss anything: I kind of miss my appetite, although I’m not hating the weight loss. I’m definitely not trying to lose weight, and I’m really pretty shocked that I’ve continued to slowly lose weight despite all the carbs I’m eating.
Movement: not yet
Cravings: None this week. I feel like I lived on chicken broth and tea some days.
Looking forward to: Our next appointment! It got bumped up to this week, and I’m hoping maybe Andrew can come with.
Daily living

Baby #2: Week 10

As much as I think about the fact that I’m pregnant, I also feel like I forget that I’m pregnant a lot! Mostly because I’m not super sick and I don’t have a big baby belly yet. Sometimes I just wonder Am I seriously pregnant?? I look forward to being able to hear the baby’s heartbeat on our home fetal Doppler and feeling movement!

Ugh, do I look tired? I woke up the day I hit 10 weeks with the start of a cold, and I feel like it shows. Darn this weakened immune system! I usually avoid Gerrit’s little cold viruses, but not this time.
How far along: 10 weeks on 31 Oct 2017 (Happy Halloween, baby!)
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a kumquat… or a Lego man apparently haha
Gender: no idea
Weight gain: none (-5 lbs)
Symptoms: Nausea, breast/nipple soreness, back pain, food aversion, constipation, some fatigue, dysgeusia
  • Because I feel like my nausea is linked to having an empty stomach, I’m really shocked that I haven’t had any nausea in the morning! It always hits me hardest around dinnertime.
  • My boobs are sore, but I only really notice it when Gerrit is climbing on me (those toddler elbows are very jabby!).
  • My back pain is about the same. It’s the worst when I’m standing and making dinner.
  • I still have an aversion to veggies in particular, but a lot of times I just have low appetite and that general “I don’t know what I feel like eating” feeling. Like nothing sounds good.
  • Constipation comes and goes. It’s never uncomfortable, so I feel like my digestive system is just really sluggish right now.
  • I feel like most women are just exhausted in the first trimester, so it’s odd to me that I’ve had very minor fatigue.
  • Dysgeusia is the “bad taste problem” that some experience in pregnancy. So far I’ve only had a few days of it, but it’s really unpleasant. Everything seems to leave a bitter or metallic taste in my mouth, and it makes finding something that sounds appetizing even more difficult. I’m hoping it doesn’t come back, because ick.
Maternity clothes: Nope
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in
Sleep: Good! My mom is still here, so I’m still sleeping in as often as I can — thanks, Mom! 
Best moment this week: Gerrit’s 3rd birthday & his dinosaur birthday party! His actual birthday was pretty low-key since his party was the next day. I made him one of his favorite meals (spaghetti & meatballs) and we let him open his gifts from us while dinner was cooking. The next day was a big ball of stress for me haha. I always do that to myself!! Despite being stressed out, things came together pretty well, and Gerrit had a great dinosaur birthday party. I will do a separate post detailing that soon! I’m still recovering from it… 🙂
Miss anything: Eating whatever I want. So many things just don’t even sound good to me lately, and I never know what I want to eat.
Movement: not yet
Cravings: No real cravings really… water crackers and cheese has been my go-to snack in the evenings. I’ve also been loving the blueberry Belvita breakfast crackers.
Looking forward to: Our friends’ Drop Night! Once theirs is over, there’s only one more before Andrew’s!