Baby #2: Week 19

January 2, 2018January 9, 2018 nk3302 Comments

Happy New Year! We are almost to the halfway point of this pregnancy as we enter 2018!

How far along: 19 weeks on 2 Jan 2018

Approximate size of Baby: the size of a zesty zucchini or a hedgehog (5.5-6″ long)

Gender: Well, while visiting with family, the majority think girl!

Weight gain: none (-1 lb again)
Symptoms: back pain, fatigue, breast tenderness, dry skin, nausea/vomiting, dizziness

Back pain isn’t horrible, but I definitely feel it when I’m on my feet a lot. I did a lot of cooking/baking in Kansas, so my back was sore a lot.
Traveling is never good for Gerrit’s sleep. Our first night on the road was a freak event: Gerrit slept through the night for the first time in months! But the rest of the nights were not great, and I was chronically tired. He picked up a cold bug, and was up every 1-2 hours for the last few nights of this week, and I was really struggling the next day.
Breast tenderness is back…
Still dealing with what I think is eczema. Sudocrem seems to be helping it the most, but I’m going to talk to my OB about it at my next appointment. I also picked up some shea butter cream to try out.
Some nausea, more gagging/dry heaving, and my last night of week 18 I threw up again.
Dizziness comes and goes. It’s usually just when I stand up too quickly.

Maternity clothes: Yes. It was REALLY cold this past week in Kansas and even when we got back home to Texas, so my sweaters got some use!
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in
Sleep: Not great. Despite being tired, I’ve been kind of restless (we were in unfamiliar beds this past week too), and I’m just not sleeping as much as I should be. There were 5 kids running around the house we were at, so sleeping in and naps were kind of out of the question.
Best moment this week: Just being with family! Seriously though, with all the craziness of being in a house with 8 other adults and 5 kids, it was so great. I was barely on my phone at all, because I was never bored! Gerrit was entertained almost all the time by his cousins, and I actually got to sit, relax, and talk with adults. Like I said, a house full of 14 people was a little crazy sometimes, but I really enjoyed having everyone together.
Miss anything: Sleep
Movement: Yes! I would say this was the week I can say I definitely felt movement. Gerrit was sleeping on a toddler air mattress on the floor while we were with family, so every time I got up with him, I’d have to squat or hunker down somehow next to him, and the baby definitely let me know he/she was feeling squished in those positions! I felt movements at other times too, but mostly in the evenings.
Cravings: extra sharp cheddar cheese and green apples
Looking forward to: My next OB appointment and Andrew’s Drop Night when he gets his aircraft assignment!

Baby Update · Daily living · Travel

Baby #2: Week 7

November 22, 2017 nk330Leave a comment

How far along: 7 weeks on 10 Oct 2017

Approximate size of Baby: the size of a blueberry

Gender: no idea

Weight gain: none (-2 lbs)
Symptoms: Nausea, breast/nipple soreness, bloating, fatigue, a little back pain

I had been dreading the nausea getting worse, and it did right when I entered the 7th week. It had been occasional and mild before, but the day I hit 6 weeks is when it lasted almost half the day. I had to remind myself that eating would probably help, and it did.
My boobs feel worse. I never realized how much Gerrit leans on them or accidentally bumps them… ow! I feel bad snapping at him when he does it, but the ladies are SORE lately.
Ugh, I just feel fat. I read that the hormones cause your digestion to slow down, so maybe that’s why I always feel bloated. It’s one reason why I dug out my maternity clothes! I don’t really need them yet, but looser tops help me feel a bit better.
I’d have to go back and look at when the fatigue really hit me when I was pregnant with Gerrit, but I really haven’t felt it yet this time. I have afternoons where I feel tired, but I don’t feel exhausted or anything. I have noticed more of those tired afternoons this week though.
My back hurts already once in awhile. I am going to try to work out this pregnancy to see if that helps with some of the aches and pains. I would love to avoid some of the back pain I had with my last pregnancy.

Maternity clothes: Not really. I pulled my maternity clothes out to look through them, and I have worn a few tops that are more flow-y but don’t necessarily look like maternity clothes. I washed a bunch of clothes I thought I’d wear in the near future, but for now they’re just sitting in my closet.

Stretch marks: no new ones

Belly button in or out: in

Sleep: Better! I mean, I still go to bed too late, but I’ve been falling asleep easier and staying asleep (when Gerrit lets me). I occasionally get really tired in the afternoons, but that’s usually following a rough night with G. He has unfortunately gotten another cold, which keeps me up more at night.

Best moment this week: Probably the South Texas Maize! We drove out to Hondo (just under 2 hours away) to visit Graff 7A Ranch, where they have a corn maze, pumpkin patch, plus tons of stuff for kids to do. It was a fun afternoon out!

Miss anything: Probably still wine

Movement: not yet

Cravings: I don’t really have any cravings yet, but there are foods I tolerate more than others. Carbs and cheese generally sound the most appealing, but that’s normal for me haha! As much as I would like to eat healthy, vegetables have not been appetizing right now. I try to make myself eat some here and there, but I’m not pushing it right now. Tart green apples and slightly under ripe bananas sit well when I’m feeling nausea come on.
Looking forward to: My parents are coming to visit next week! And I have my first OB appointment next week too!

Holiday · Parenting · Travel

Corn, Pumpkins, & Sun

October 11, 2017 nk3307 Comments

One of our family’s favorite things during UPT is the 3 Day Weekend. They only happen around holidays, and since Andrew can’t take time off during training, these weekends are our only chance for mini trips. With the weather cooling off, we really have been trying to get out and explore our area of Texas as a family when we can.

The most recent 3 day weekend Andrew got was for Columbus Day. We were originally hoping to do an overnight trip, but Gerrit ended up picking up another cold bug. It just seemed like a day trip would be a better idea in the end. So we decided to go to Hondo, TX that Sunday afternoon. Just outside of town, Graff 7A Ranch sets up South Texas Maize for the season. It seems like, for those of us in Del Rio, this is pretty much THE thing to do in the fall if you like corn mazes and fall fun! There honestly isn’t much else around that offers that.

We left later than we planned on Sunday, but it ended up working out great, because Gerrit slept almost the whole way there! He really needed that nap, and I’m glad he got it before we got there rather than right before dinner. It was a Heroes Weekend, so we had free admission because Andrew is in the military. I love that they have several of these weekends as a big thank you to those in the military, firefighters, law enforcement, and EMS personnel.

After we got our entry bracelets, we got food! The lady at the ticket booth told us the food was great, and she wasn’t lying. Maybe I was just really hungry, but I thought my cheeseburger and fries were definitely above average! Plus Gerrit got a fun pumpkin cup that he absolutely loves.

Once our bellies were full, we headed over to see some goats. Gerrit said hi to them, but he didn’t want to touch them. As we made our way over the the corn maze, we had to pass the big slides: MatterCorn Mountain.

Andrew took Gerrit on the slide, and he loved it! Not enough to do it more than once, but he still said it was fun. We headed into the MAiZE next. There are two different mazes to do, and since it was about 90 degrees out, we opted for the short one!

There were numbered posts in the maze with a question to answer at each post. If you got the answer right, you would head down the correct path to the exit. Despite getting all of our answers right, we still got a little turned around, I think! Gerrit was in no hurry, and kept wanting to look at ears of corn that had fallen on the ground. Eventually we made our way out of the maze successfully!

Right after we made our way out of the MAiZE, they were announcing that the last pig race of the day was starting, so we headed that way. We stayed to watch one pig race, but we were pretty hot and sweaty after wandering through the corn for half an hour!

After watching a pig race, we found some shade under a tree and rested for a bit. Gerrit’s little cheeks were getting so red from the heat, so we just kept telling him to drink his water! He was happy to do it since it was out of his big pumpkin cup haha.

Gerrit played on the hay bales for awhile after we rested for a bit, and then we headed over to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin to carve. We haven’t carved a pumpkin with Gerrit before, but I think we’re going to try it this year!

Andrew picked out a big one for us to carve in a couple of weeks, and Gerrit picked out the one he wanted to take home. I almost pointed out the flaws in the pumpkin Gerrit picked (lots of scuffs on one side), but I’m so glad I just kept my mouth shut and let him choose the one he wanted. He was so proud of it!

We only spent about 2 hours at South Texas Maize, but we really had a great time! I think if it had been cooler or a little overcast, we would have stayed longer. We didn’t get to do everything we wanted in 2 hours, but it was still a fun fall day trip. Gerrit is already asking when we can go back!