Baby Update · Daily living · Parenting

Baby #2: Week 4

Well, here we are again! 🙂 This was another planned pregnancy, so I found out we were expecting again fairly early on.

Once again, I was completely shocked (even though we had been trying to get pregnant), because I was just so sure I was not pregnant. Even though I had been feeling moody and a little weepy (I cried watching “Moana” for Pete’s sake), I chalked it up to a lower dose of my antidepressant and PMS. Add in two negative pregnancy tests and some spotting, and I was completely sure I was just about to start my period. The day before I was supposed to get my period, I had had no more spotting, which was a little strange. So after eating lunch, on a whim, I decided to use my last pregnancy test. Even as I was peeing on the stick, I was thinking, Why are you even using this test? You’re just wasting money! But when the faintest 2nd pink line showed up, I almost fell over! I rushed to the window to get some better light, then took a picture to send to my sisters. I was sure it was just wishful thinking! Once I had calmed down, I dragged Gerrit to the BX (which is literally just down the road) to get a few more pregnancy tests. Yup, still positive.

The photo above is what Andrew came home to that night. Of course, it was night week, so he was home late-ish. I was practically jumping out of my skin waiting for him to come home! His reaction was pretty typical Andrew: calm and unfazed. When I asked how he felt, he said, “I’ve been ready for this as soon as we stopped using protection.”

That afternoon I also snapped this picture of Gerrit while we were playing in his room:

I don’t think Gerrit has any real opinions on this pregnancy yet. In the recent past, when asked, he has said he wants a baby sister, but we’ll see how he feels as things progress.

Coincidentally, I had a doctor appointment the day after I took the pregnancy test for a refill on my prescription, so I let them know that I had had a positive pregnancy test. They sent me to the lab to have blood drawn, and that afternoon, I got the call confirming that I was pregnant! Things will be a little different this time around, because I will need a referral to go off base for care.

How far along: 4 weeks on 19 Sept 2017
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a mustard seed
Gender: no idea
Weight gain: none
Symptoms: some nipple soreness
Maternity clothes: not even close
Stretch marks: only old ones!
Belly button in or out: in
Sleep: I’ll be honest… since I stopped drinking wine after Gerrit goes to bed, I’ve been having a hard time falling asleep as quickly. I’ve been sleeping more lightly too, I think, but it’s hard to say, because I never get to sleep through the night (ahem…Gerrit…). 
Best moment this week: Finding out that we are pregnant!
Miss anything: Uh…wine!
Movement: not yet
Cravings: no
Looking forward to: Getting assigned an OB/GYN in town so we can schedule our first appointment!
Baby Update

Gerrit’s Newborn Photos

Gerrit had his newborn photos taken by FootSteps Photography a few days after he turned two weeks old. They usually get taken earlier than this, but I was concerned that Gerrit would look really yellow because of his jaundice and pushed them back a bit. As usual, I had no reason to worry. 🙂

We started out with some family photos. They turned out really sweet, despite how tired we were!

Kiel_MatNB_49 copyKiel_MatNB_52bw copyKiel_MatNB_68bw copyI love all the photos of little Gerrit! Amanda was so patient with him when he got fussy and has such a way with babies. I love that she is also a mom, so I trusted her with Gerrit while getting a much-needed break. Kiel_MatNB_99 copyThis next one makes me laugh every time…

Kiel_MatNB_87 copyOur little man!Kiel_MatNB_89 copy

I really wanted some photos with Andrew’s military uniform, since that’s a big part of our lives right now.

Kiel_MatNB_77 copyThe next photo is one of my favorites! I love that his hands are over his heart. Kiel_MatNB_81 copyWe also took some holiday photos for our Christmas card. I crocheted the ornament hat Gerrit is wearing. 🙂

Kiel_MatNB_83 copyKiel_MatNB_86 copyHere are a few more photos with hats that I crocheted when I was pregnant:

Kiel_MatNB_101 copyKiel_MatNB_103 copyThis next one is Andrew’s favorite. We got a canvas made of this one that will be going somewhere in our next house!

Kiel_MatNB_93 copyKiel_MatNB_111 copyI love this next one and hope to put it in Gerrit’s nautical nursery.

Kiel_MatNB_75I know I shared a lot of photos, but I think they all are just so cute! I know Gerrit is going to grow and change so quickly, and I will love looking back at these moments when he was just a tiny newborn.

Baby Update

Maternity Photo Shoot

I know Gerrit is nearly 2 months old, but I just recently got the flash drive with all the photos from our maternity photo shoot. We did a maternity/newborn combo, so I had to wait until we got the newborn photos done to get all the photos back.

I love our maternity photos! I knew we would be getting really amazing photos from Amanda with FootSteps Photography, but I was still so impressed when I saw them for the first time. When we saw the slideshow for the first time, I started crying. I was sleep-deprived and dealing with postpartum depression, but seeing how happy we were while expecting our first baby reminded me of how amazing pregnancy was.

Kiel_MatNB_01Kiel_MatNB_05 copyKiel_MatNB_08 copyI really wanted fall colors in our photos, but it was still pretty warm at the end of September when we had these photos done. Amanda did such a great job finding some color and using the light to give an autumnal glow.

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I was at the very end of my 32nd week of pregnancy here. I thought I had at least 7 weeks to go, but Gerrit was born exactly a month later!

Kiel_MatNB_33 copyKiel_MatNB_45 copyKiel_MatNB_41 copyThis next one is probably my favorite from the maternity session! I can’t wait to have it framed and hanging in our new home.

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