Category: Holiday

Baby Update · Daily living · Holiday

Baby #2: Week 15

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I was so hopeful that things would magically turn around for me this week, but my body had other ideas. The day before we hit 15 weeks, I had an appointment with my OB, and he assured me that everything is looking good. Gerrit and I got to see the baby again during an ultrasound, and we heard a good strong heartbeat in the 160s.

How far along: 15 weeks on 05 Dec 2017
Approximate size of Baby: the size of an apple (about 4 inches)
Gender: still defaulting to masculine pronouns
Weight gain: none (-4 lbs)
Symptoms: back pain, breast tenderness, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, food aversion, headache, dizziness, nasal congestion
  • Back pain is still pretty minor & not every day
  • My boobs only really hurt when someone (ahem, Gerrit) leans on them or shoves an elbow into them.
  • Still quite a bit of nausea, although it’s not constant or anything. I feel like I had a lot of gagging this week though.
  • I threw up twice this week. 😦 Both times it was late afternoon. The 2nd time was after my OB appointment, and I had to convince myself to hold it together until I got home so I didn’t have to pull the car over!
  • Most days I feel like the fatigue has lifted, but then I’ll have a day or two where I feel so tired during the day.
  • Food aversion is still mostly reserved for vegetables, although sometimes I just don’t feel like eating anything.
  • Once in awhile I get a day with a really persistent headache that just doesn’t want to go away.
  • I get dizzy when I stand up lately, but I had one day where it really lasted all day. I’m glad it happened on the weekend so I could just avoid standing most of the day, but I hate feeling stuck on the couch too.
  • The nasal congestion & dry nose feeling has started. I remember this from my last pregnancy, but I can’t remember how long it lasted.

Maternity clothes: Still fitting into one pair of regular jeans! And when I’m not wearing those, I’m in leggings.
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in
Sleep: Good, although it still takes me awhile to fall back to sleep if I have to get up with Gerrit (usually only once a night). 
Best moment this week: It’s always one of my best moments when I can see the baby at a doctor visit! My other best moment was decorating the tree with my family. Gerrit is really excited about everything Christmas this year, and it’s so fun to see that!

Miss anything: Still missing my patience, although it’s starting to come back… I think. Also missing just feeling normal.
Movement: I’m not sure. There have been a few instances where I think I feel something, but then I wonder if it was just a gas bubble haha!
Cravings: chips and guacamole, sushi (not that I’ve had any)
Looking forward to: Christmas! I know it’s a few weeks away, but I’ve already been wrapping gifts, and I’m excited to see Gerrit open his.
Baby Update · Daily living · Holiday · Parenting

Baby #2: Week 14

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Hello, 2nd trimester! As much as I thought the first trimester dragged on and on, it feels weird to already be a third of the way done. I’m hoping this trimester really is the best — I’m ready to be feeling better.

I’ve come to the conclusion that eating in the first trimester is like eating like a toddler. I basically only want carbs, cheese, and fruit. I pretty much snack all day instead of eating meals. I want to eat things like chips and ice cream, and, because I’m an adult, I do, haha. It’s just a huge switch from what I was eating before the nausea and food aversion set in.

How far along: 14 weeks on 28 Nov 2017
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a lemon or a house mouse
Gender: I have no idea
Weight gain: none (-5 lbs)
Symptoms: Nausea, back pain, vomiting, fatigue, low appetite, burping
  • The nausea is bad one day then much better the next. Then bad again, then better…
  • Minor and occasional back pain… same as I’ve been having.
  • Okay, scratch everything I said about being better about avoiding getting sick this time around. My new thought is that if your body wants to throw up, you’re just going to throw up. I had a day where I had on and off nausea ALL day, and when I finally threw up around midnight, I felt SO much better.
  • I still get extra sleep when I can, but I feel like maybe the fatigue is lifting.
  • I don’t think I’m having as much food aversion, but my appetite is low. I’ll eat a little, then need a break to digest or something. One night I had half my bowl of spaghetti, cleaned up the kitchen and put Gerrit to bed, then went back and finished my spaghetti.
  • I forgot to mention this again… the burping! At least the last half of my first trimester, I had a lot of burping, especially when I’m feeling nauseated.
Maternity clothes: Slowly pulling them out. I’m about done with any shorts/jeans that zip and button. Elastic is my friend. If it’s too hot for leggings, I find elastic waist shorts, maternity shorts without the full panel, or a skirt. I can still wear most of my regular tops though.
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in
Sleep: Good! Still sleeping very soundly. Sometimes I have a hard time falling back to sleep if I have to get up with Gerrit though. 
Best moment this week: Thanksgiving! It was a little stressful getting everything made, but the actual meal and company was great. I LOVE hosting things like this!
Miss anything: My patience. I asked Andrew if I seemed moody, and he said, “No, you just act like you don’t feel good.” But I have been more snappy with Gerrit, and I feel really bad about that. I usually pride myself on my patience, but it’s been really low lately. Gerrit has been showing an interest in potty training, and I really need patience for that!
Movement: Not yet… I don’t think.
Cravings: chips and guacamole
Looking forward to: Our 2nd OB appointment… FINALLY. My last one was supposed to be at 12 weeks. It got rescheduled for 11 weeks, and then it got canceled and rescheduled for next Monday. I hate having such a big gap between appointments, even if it was the first trimester.
One more with the big brother-to-be:
Daily living · Holiday

Halloween Fun!

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Halloween is really not one of my favorite holidays, but Gerrit definitely showed an interest in it this year for the first time. Since we were invited to a friend’s house for a Halloween party, I actually put forth some effort into getting us some costumes this year too!

Since the dinosaur obsession is still strong in this house, and I have a super cute crochet pattern for a triceratops hat, I wanted to do a Jurassic Park family costume theme circa 1993.

Now I thought this would be an easy thing. But apparently, denim shirts and salmon button-downs are not as easy to come across now compared to 25 years ago. Especially if you want them cheap and last minute by rummaging through thrift shops and discount stores. Nevertheless, I did my best:

We looked a little goofy, but Gerrit LOVED his dinosaur costume, so it was all worth it! We only brought him to the party for 45 minutes or so (it was only 2 houses down from us), then I walked him home so my mom could get him ready for bed. It was fun to be kid-free for a couple of hours!

The day before Halloween, we finally carved our pumpkin from the corn maze we went to in early October. It was Gerrit’s first experience with pumpkin-carving, which was fun for all of us! 

 

He definitely was wary of the inside of the pumpkin! He had no interest in helping to clean out “the guts” with Andrew, despite how much he enjoys getting dirty.

 

 

After awhile, he did come over to touch the seeds and pulp. It wasn’t until the very end of cleaning it out that Gerrit actually stuck his hand down in the pumpkin though!

I was given the honor of carving the pumpkin. I don’t think I’ve carved a pumpkin since I was in college, so I opted for a simple, traditional jack o’lantern:

All in all, I think Gerrit enjoyed his first pumpkin carving! Hopefully next year we can get him a little more involved and maybe try one of the carving kits. I’m glad we kept it simple for this year though.

A bittersweet thing about this Halloween? I’m pretty sure it’s our last time staying home to hand out candy. Gerrit wanted to go trick-or-treating, but he and I got sick with a cold ON Halloween, so I let him put his costume on and help me hand out treats. I don’t have a problem going trick-or-treating, I just dread all that sugar coming back to my house! I know, I know… don’t be a party pooper, Nicole…. he’s only a kid once! So next year I’ll just have to give up my control freak ways and let Halloween happen. I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!