38(ish) week update

Nothing too exciting to report. I went to the doctor yesterday for my 38 week pre-natal exam (even though I am not 38 weeks until tomorrow!). Since I had just been there four days before - last Thursday, I was not surprised that nothing has really changed. The nurse even asked if I wanted the doctor to do a cervical check. I said yes, just to see if any of the minor cramping/tightening that I was experiencing over the weekend did anything. Of course, that was not the case. I saw Dr. Culver and he said that there was no change - still 50% effaced, no dilation and the baby's head is still "way up high". Nothing surprising, but I was hoping for a little bit of a change.

My numbers yesterday were:

• Weight: up another lb for a total of 21 lbs
• BP: 119/40 (a little high, but the nurse said it was because I was talking while she was measuring it)
• Fundal Height: 36 cm
• Baby's Heartbeat: 135

I keep going back and forth in my mind about whether I want this baby to come soon or wait a little while. This past weekend, when I got the infant carrier out of the bag that it had been in for the past two years while in the crawl space, the fabric that surrounds it and the belts were all moldy! YUCK! Thankfully I was able to take it all apart and wash all the different pieces and now they are all clean and nice-smelling again! As I was putting it all back together again last night, I envisioned a little baby inside the carrier and it made me want to see him soon! Then again, this morning when Jacob was up at 6:40am and, while half asleep, I had to change him and his bed sheets because he had peed the bed during the night, I was thinking it is nice to not have a newborn to worry about just yet. Of course, only God knows when he is going to make his arrival and I am trying to enjoy having him safe inside me while knowing that I will not be pregnant forever!

One other thing is that Jacob starts preschool next Thursday, August 16th. I am hoping that either this baby comes before then (this week presumably) or he waits and arrives after the 16th. I am just a little worried that I am going to be in the hospital and miss this important event. I know that Keith or Mimi will do a great job of getting him to school and back, but I really want to be there! The preschool he is attending is at the church that we go to and the classrooms are the same as he uses for Sunday School so I am hoping that he doesn't have a hard time transitioning. But, he still sometimes cries when we leave him on Sundays so I am sure it is not going to be as easy as I would like. Also, I am pretty sure that I will be crying too! He will only be away from 9am-noon, but that is a long time for him to be in a somewhat strange place. Thankfully, there will be at least four other kiddos that he knows in his class so they can all do it together! :)

My next OB appt is next Monday, August 13th. Hopefully by then, something will have changed. We shall see....

Weeks 35 & 37 Updates

So, I am way behind on blogging regarding my last two pre-natal appointments. I had my 35 week appointment on Tuesday, July 17th. Katie was able to watch Jacob since I was scheduled to have my GBS (Group B Strep) test and a cervical exam that day and it is just easier to not have to worry about him being there while the doctor is doing those things. The appointment was pretty cut and dry. I saw Dr. Arnold and he said everything was looking great. My numbers were:

• Weight: up 1 lb for a total of 19 lbs
• BP: 124/80
• Fundal Height: 35 cm
• Baby's Heartbeat: "in the 140s"

The doctor did do the GBS test and a cervical exam. He said that my cervix was completely closed and not thinned out at all. He was sure that the baby was not coming any time soon! (I didn't tell him that I was super happy about that since we were heading to Corolla for our annual family vacation the next week!) It did make me feel a little better about being five hours away at 36 weeks pregnant though. Thankfully, nothing exciting happened baby-wise while we were away!

Last week, on August 2nd, I had my 37 week appointment. I was actually 37 weeks and 1 day that specific day and I was reminiscing in my head about how Jacob was actually born at this point (my water broke at 36 weeks 6 days and two days later, he was born via c-section). Scary to think about because, honestly, I want this baby to stay in just a little bit longer!

Even though I knew the doctor was going to do a cervical exam at this appointment, I took Jacob with me because I didn't have anyone to watch him. He did really well and did ask why I was taking my pants and underwear off, but when I told him that the doctor needed to check to see how the baby was doing, he didn't ask any other questions. He was happy to sit in the office chair and play Thomas puzzles on the iPad. I saw Dr. Arnold again and he was very talkative with Jacob. They spent a few minutes discussing the different Thomas the Tank Engine trains. It was actually quite cute and it made Jacob happy.

Dr. Arnold told me that my Group B Strep test came back normal. That was good news and just something that I don't need to worry about now (no antibiotics during labor if I am able to have a vaginal birth). After he did the cervical exam, he said that I was 50% effaced but still not dilated at all. That means that I am moving in the right direction and my body is starting the process, albeit very slowly! I was not surprised at what he said though. I am honestly wondering, after how things went with Jacob's birth, if my body will indeed dilate on its own. I do believe that Jacob being transverse (sideways) had something to do with me not dilating that time, so who knows what is really going to happen. Right now, we will just have to wait and see.

My numbers for this appointment were:

• Weight: up 1 lb for a total of 20 lbs
• BP: 124/84 (exactly same as last appointment)
• Fundal Height: 36 cm
• Baby's Heartbeat: Dr. Arnold didn't say what the actual bpm were. He just said "that sounds good".

Here are two pictures that I took last Thursday before we left for my appointment. I am not big on posting pregnancy pictures because I haven't really been "showing" as much as most women, but I wanted to document what I look like at this point in this journey.

Full body shot

The view I see when I look down!

Right now, I am still feeling OK. Things are getting very snug inside my belly and simple things like getting up off the couch, rolling over in bed, breathing while bending over, or sitting on the floor to play with Jacob are becoming increasingly harder to do. I am also dealing with a few other annoying things -- my hands, especially my right one, go numb numerous times during the day and night; heartburn is still occurring multiple times during the day and is waking me up at night; and I am just not sleeping well due to having to get up to pee at least two times per night and the other two annoying things I already mentioned! I am also having a little bit of swelling in my hands and feet. I can't get my engagement or wedding ring on so I have stopped wearing them. The swelling is nowhere near as bad as it was with my first pregnancy though so I am thankful!

The baby continues to move a lot and poke and prod me whenever he can. I am definitely having tightening and cramping every day, although not anything that seems like real labor at all! It is painful at times, but nothing that is too hard to handle at this point. I am hoping that all of this is at least helping me to dilate and get the process moving, but we shall see. My next appointment is tomorrow, Aug 6th. I will post after I see what the doctor has to say.

33 Week Update (and other fun things!)

Yesterday was a busy, yet productive day. Keith and Jacob left at 9am to head to PA to visit Keith's mom for the weekend. I stayed back from the trip so that I could get some things done around here. I had a busy day planned and was hopeful to get a lot accomplished while they were gone.

First, I had a PT appointment for my knee at 11:30am. My knee is feeling a lot better than it was a month ago, but it still gets stiff when I am sitting/laying still for awhile (like at night). It is also painful at times when I try to completely straighten it and my ability to bend it is not what it should be. I am able to kneel a little bit, but still have some pain when I put a lot of pressure on my kneecap while kneeling. I think the PT has helped - there are a bunch of exercises that the therapist has me do, mostly to strengthen the muscles around my knee to help with the knee pain. She also wrapped it with tape the past two appointments (once last Friday and then again yesterday) and that helps a lot. The tape is kind of a pain because it starts to curl up and come off after a day or so, but while it is on there, it stabilizes my knee and makes it feel better.

After my PT appointment, I drove into Charlottesville and got some lunch at Applebee's. I had a gift card and thought their Oriental Chicken Salad and French Onion Soup sounded really good. I have never been really comfortable eating at a restaurant by myself, but it wasn't really all that bad this time. I wasn't in there very long and it was interesting to just listen to the conversations going on around me. The table behind me was a mom with two small children and I couldn't help by smile when I heard her telling the kids some of the very same things I say to Jacob when we are out to eat. It actually made me miss him, but I was also very thankful for the quiet time that I was getting by myself. I was actually able to eat in peace and not have to worry about anyone else!

Once I was done with lunch, I had a few minutes to go to BabiesRUs and pick up a few things that I needed - a new hamper cover for the baby's room (the old one was accidentally ruined by bleach in the washing machine when Jacob had the stomach flu last month), some crib sheets for both the baby's room and Jacob's new toddler bed, a new crib mattress pad, and some of those disposable bags for times when the baby has messy poops while we are in the car (I am hoping I don't have to use too many of those, but Jacob was famous for having blowouts while in his car seat!). I was also on the hunt for a lamp for Jacob's new room and a new booster seat for him to use at the table (he is still currently using the high chair, but he is getting too big for it!). I did not find either the lamp or the booster seat, but was happy with my other purchases.

Of course, I spent too much time wandering around BabiesRUs, so I was rushing to get to my 2:45pm OB appointment.  I arrived just a few minutes late and I was called back to the exam room within about a minute of sitting down in the waiting room. It was a very quick and uneventful appointment. I saw Dr. Heider again because I had to reschedule my original appointment, which was in the morning, because 11:30am was the only PT appt available. The nurse did the regular stuff - weight (up 1 lb for a total of 18 lbs) and BP (it was kind of high at 140/85, but I attributed that to me eating the salty food not long before my appointment and the fact that I was rushing in 100 degree heat to get to the appointment! They never re-checked it so I assume it was nothing to worry about). Dr. Heider came in and asked how I was feeling (my answer: OK, not great, but not bad either) and if I had any questions (which I didn't). He measured my fundal height at 34 cm (it should be roughly equal to the number of weeks pregnant you are, so that was a good measurement). He then listened to the baby's heartbeat - he said it sounded good and was in the 130s (this is lower than it has been, but the heartbeat does get lower towards the end of pregnancy). Before I left, the doctor told me that they would do the Group B strep screening test at my next appointment. My Group B test with Jacob was positive so I will not be surprised if this test comes back positive too. If it does, it just means that I will need to be given antibiotics when I go into labor.


After my OB appointment, I drove over to the UVA Football office - my old "home away from home" - to visit with some of my old co-workers. It was pretty quiet in the office since a lot of coaches and staff were on vacation, but I did get to visit with a few people. I ended up staying for a lot longer than I had planned (two hours!) but it was nice to be able to stand around and chat without have to chase Jacob down the halls or worry about being anywhere! It is always nice to go back and visit - the sight and smells of the offices bring back such great memories of my two years working there. I really miss those good times and think that maybe some day I would like to go back and work there again!


After my visit to the Football office, I went to Kohl's to return some things and then headed to a local Thai restaurant to meet up with two of my friends. We had a great meal and then headed over to the movie theater to see "Magic Mike", a fun movie about male strippers. Unfortunately, the movie was playing one hour later than we thought (we thought it was playing at 9pm, but it actually didn't start until 10pm!). We made the most of it and took a trip up the street to Target (where I did find a cool lamp for Jacob's room!) before returning to the theater about 45 mins later. The movie was good, although the plot was a bit weak. It was just nice to get out and have dinner and see a movie with some great friends. I didn't get home until close to 1am and I was definitely tired! It was also strange being in the house all by myself (first time that has happened in the three years that Jacob has been alive!). But, when I crawled into bed, I didn't have any trouble falling asleep pretty quickly.


It certainly was a super busy day, but also enjoyable. I am glad that I got so much accomplished while also taking time to savor the alone time. I am now on the every-two-weeks pre-natal appointment schedule so my next appointment will be on July 17th when I am 35 weeks (wow...time needs to slow down a bit)! Look for another update at that time.

31 Week Update

This is a little late, but I wanted to be sure that I got some information down on paper (or online!) before I forget. The days are continuing to fly by at warp speed and these days we stay busy, busy, busy! I can't believe that June is almost over. The summer always seems to go by too fast!!

Last Wednesday, when I was exactly 31 weeks, I had a pre-natal appointment with the OB. I saw Dr. Heider again and the appointment was quite uneventful. We weren't in the office very long, which is always nice when Jacob is with me. He did well, sitting quietly watching a video or looking at books on the iPad. That thing sure is a life saver when we are in appointments or on a long grocery shopping trip!

The nurse took my blood pressure (125/80) and weighed me (I was up six lbs for a total of 17 lbs). I was worried about the weight gain - but the doctor didn't mention anything about it, so I guess he is not worried. At this point, I am supposed to be gaining about a pound a week, which would have equated to four pounds at this appt. So, maybe six isn't that bad. :) I have honestly not been watching my diet and I have been craving sweets and salty foods at different times - ice cream, cookies, chocolate milk, chips, popcorn and french fries with cheese sauce are my favorites right now  - so I was not surprised to have gained that much. I have told myself that I am going to try to be better with my diet, but we will see. I have noticed lately that I cannot eat as much as I could previously, which I guess is a good thing at this point!

After I gave my urine sample, the doc came in and we chatted for a bit. He asked me if I was still planning on trying a VBAC and I said yes. I have noticed that every doctor has asked me at every appointment - I guess they are just "checking" to make sure that I haven't changed my mind. :)  He then checked for the baby's heartbeat, which was a strong 154 bpm.

He asked me how I was feeling and I told him that the usual pregnancy symptoms are getting worse, but I am working through them:

• I am wearing a brace on my right wrist at night to help with the carpal tunnel issue (although my hand/wrist still falls asleep at times during the day - usually when I am typing or holding onto something like a phone or pen).
  
• Heartburn/reflux is getting worse even though I am taking 75 mg of Zantac twice a day. The doc gave me the go-ahead to up my intake to 150 mg twice a day. I started that a few days ago so I am hoping that will help. The reflux has woken me up in the middle of the night twice for the past few nights. I usually drink some water and pop a few of the Papaya Extract pills that I have been taking and it seems to help enough for me to get back to sleep.
  
• Speaking of sleep, that is not happening very easily these days. With the heartburn and having to go pee about every two hours, my sleep is not very restful. It is also just hard to get comfortable - I have tried putting a pillow between my knees for support, but that usually only helps for a short time. I used the pregnancy pillow a bit, but that just seems to take up too much room and doesn't offer that much relief. And, when I try to roll over to get into a more comfy position, it seems like it takes a lot of effort to do so. My belly isn't that big, but getting it from one side to another takes a lot of effort, especially when I am half asleep. I am not sure that my snoring has gotten too bad yet, although Keith did have to wake me up last night because he said it was keeping him awake. Sorry, honey!
  
• Another thing that I have had an issue with lately is breathing. Yes, the basic idea of taking a deep breath is not easy these days. I know it is because I am carrying this baby super high and my lungs are being pushed aside, but I don't remember having this issue as much with Jacob (even though I think I carried him the same way). I guess maybe it is because I am moving a lot more - playing with and cleaning up after a three year old is more demanding than the desk job I had during my first pregnancy! I find that when I am bending over, I have to hold my breath because I can't breathe. Also, sometimes when I am reading a book to Jacob, I find myself getting out of breath. It seems really crazy that doing something so simple can cause this, but I guess it is all just a part of the growing baby that is taking over my body!

• The biggest issue I am dealing with right now is an issue with my left knee. The pain started on June 8th, which was a day that I had been on my feet a lot (we were at the pool in the morning and then I was up til about 1am making Jacob's tractor birthday cake). I just thought that I might have over done it a bit by standing so much, but the pain got worse over the next few days, especially when I tried to straighten or bend my knee past about 90 degrees. A few nights later, while I was trying to get off of the couch, my knee locked up on me and Keith had to come and physically straighten it for me. I saw my PCP about it and she said that I may have torn my meniscus (how? I am not really sure!). She said that there isn't much that can be done while I am pregnant, so she ordered PT for me. I started going to PT last week (2x per week) and it has helped some. The pain is actually not as bad when I am up moving around. It gets worse when I am resting it or sleeping because it gets stiff. Ice helps, as does a few stretches for my calf and hamstring that the therapist gave me. The worst thing about it is that I can't kneel on my left knee so getting up and down off of the floor (like when I am helping Jacob with a puzzle or trying to clean up the mess he has made with toys strewn all over the playroom) isn't easy or comfortable! It is just a pain and not something else that I really want to deal with!

Other than those "few" things, life is good! Like I said, time is flying by and it is hard to believe that my due date is less than two months away! We have just started to get things together here to move Jacob into the extra room and get the nursery back to where it will be ready for the baby. I just need to make time to get it done!

I am now on the "every two weeks" pre-natal appointment schedule so my next appointment is Friday, July 6th. Keith and Jacob are heading out of town that weekend to visit Keith's family in PA I am staying back to get things done around here. My mom is going to come help with organizing things that Saturday and hopefully we can get Jacob's room ready for him to move in upon his return! I am not stressing just yet, but the idea of a baby coming early (possibly in a very short 6 weeks) does make me a bit worried! We have a lot of things to do between now and then!! I hope we can get it all done!

Glucose Tolerance Test Results

Last Wednesday, I got a call from a nurse at the OB's office saying that I had failed my Glucose Screening Test. :( I was pretty sure that everything was fine since I hadn't heard anything and it had been almost a week since I had taken the test. So I was honestly kind of surprised to get the call. She said that my Blood Glucose level was not super high - it was144 - but it needed to be below 129 to be considered normal. Therefore, I needed to go to the lab for a three-hour Glucose Tolerance Test within the next few days. Fun times! I was not necessarily worried that I failed the one-hour test, since I had done the same when I was pregnant with Jacob (my level that time was 166). But, I was hopeful that, similar to that time, I would not fail the three-hour test!

Thankfully, Keith was able to take Friday off from work so I made an appointment at the lab to do the three-hour test that day. They wanted me to be there between 7-8am so it would have been tricky to get Jacob to someone's house or even have someone come here to watch him that early. It was nice that Daddy was able to stay home and spend some time with him too! I felt like I didn't need to rush and I even ran a bunch of errands (grabbed lunch and went to Sam's Club & Walmart) after I left the lab - it was nice to have a day to get some necessary things accomplished without having to take Jacob along.

The three-hour test wasn't that bad and the time seemed to go by quite quickly. I arrived at the lab around 8am, they took some blood before I drank the "sweet juice" (100 grams of glucose in the same sized bottle as the picture above, Lemon-Lime flavored this time...it was really gross and kind of hard to get down in the five minute allowed time). Then, I got registered and sat in the waiting room for the next three hours. They called me back to give a blood sample every hour (at 9:15am, 10:15am and 11:15am). The women who took my blood did a really good job and, of the four times I was pricked, only one of them didn't take the first time. My right arm seems to have the beat veins since they took blood from my right hand once and my right arm three times (it was my left arm that didn't want to cooperate - she said that my vein "rolled" so she couldn't get any blood even after poking around).

There were two other pregnant women there who were also doing the same thing I was, so we would chat every now and then while we were waiting. One of them is due Aug 20th and the other on Aug 21st. We joked that we would see each other at the hospital when we had our babies. Ironic thing is that they were both having boys too! I took my computer with me and there was free wi-fi in the main building's waiting area (but not in the lab waiting area), so I would wander out there every now and then to check my email or facebook. I even got a little (paid) work done. I also worked a bit on getting photos and videos organized on my Macbook so I can get them off the computer and onto DVDs (this is an on-going project that takes a long time so some uninterrupted time with nothing else to do was perfect for this!).

When I spoke to the nurse on the phone on Wednesday, she said that they might have the results on Friday afternoon, but they would definitely be available on Monday, so I decided to call the doctor's office yesterday morning. The nurse that answered the phone said that she was actually just getting ready to call me because she had gotten a note from the doctor regarding my results. When she said that my glucose levels were normal, I was very relieved! My specific numbers were:

Fasting - 87 mg/dl (needed to be under 95)
One hour - 174 mg/dl (needed to be under 180)
Two Hours - 145 mg/dl (needed to be under 155)
Three Hours - 100 mg/dl (needed to be under 140)

These numbers are similar, although a little different, to what they were three years ago with my last pregnancy. It is interesting to compare the numbers. I am thankful that I don't need to worry about Gestational Diabetes. So far, things seem to be going well with this pregnancy. I hope that continues for the next 11 weeks!!

27 Week Update

I had a pre-natal appointment today that was, thankfully, very uneventful. I was up 4 lbs for a total of 11 lbs so far. I have read that at this point I should be gaining a pound a week so I guess that is right on track. The doctor didn't mention anything about it, so I guess I shouldn't be concerned either.

I met with Dr. Montgomery today. He is actually the doctor who was on-call the weekend I had Jacob and I have such good memories of him from that time. Today's meeting was a confirmation of that good feeling because he was super nice and very talkative. We didn't really have that much to talk about, but we talked a little about my desire to try a VBAC. The discussion started when I told him that I felt like I was carrying this baby super high again, similar to how it was with Jacob. I have noticed that I am starting to get uncomfortable under my breasts after wearing an underwire bra because it is getting tight up in that area, especially towards the end of the day. I had that problem in my pregnancy with Jacob and I ended up having to wear a bra that had no wire (which is not very supportive for a big-breasted woman like me!). I am not to that point just yet, but I fear that it is coming soon!

Dr. Montgomery said that when he measured me, I was measuring a bit larger than I should be. He didn't give me the exact measurement, but he said that it was nothing to be alarmed about right now. He said we would just keep monitoring the growth and see what happens in the coming weeks. He asked how big Jacob was when he was born and when I told him that he was 7 lbs, 4 oz at 37 weeks, he said that he probably would have been close to 9 lbs if he had come closer to my due date. He said, "Maybe you just grow big babies" and thus led to the discussion of a VBAC and trying to push out a "big baby". Oh joy! I guess we shall see in the next few months how things pan out.

While I was at the appointment today, I was able to also drink the "yummy" sugary drink for my glucose test. I arrived at the office about 15 mins early in the hopes that I could drink the stuff while I was waiting in the reception area (to cut down on the time I had to wait afterwards), but upon checking in, the receptionist told me I had to get the drink from the nurse. Of course, as fate would have it, they were about 15 mins late calling me back, but thankfully Jacob was really good in the waiting room - playing with the toys there, eating a snack and reciting his ABCs & telling me stories super loud for all those around us to hear! :)

Once we got back to the exam room, I was able to drink the glucose drink after the nurse did my weight, blood pressure and I gave a urine sample. The drink was cold and orange flavored so it wasn't "that" bad, all things considered. After my 10 mins or so with the doctor, we still have 40 mins to wait until I could get my blood drawn. So, I made my next appointment, then we slowly made our way down the hall to the elevator, took a detour to go look at a bunny statue that Jacob really likes that is in a patio area outside the office building, got into the car, and headed across the street to the lab. Once we got to that building, I made a stop in the restroom to pee, stopped to look at two other statues that Jacob wanted to admire, and then went to the lab to register and wait. Again, Jacob was really good, even though we had to wait about 15 mins until they called us back. He was happy to sit and play with the iPad - putting puzzles together, reading books, and watching videos (old episodes of Tom and Jerry on Youtube are his favorite right now!).

It took two sticks for the lab tech to get blood from me - she had no luck with a stick in my left arm and then opted to go for a nice big vein in my right hand. I was assuming I was going to have a big bruise on my left arm from where she was moving the needle around so much to try to get into the vein, but actually there isn't even anything there. My hand is a little tender to the touch, but nothing too awful. Now, I just have to wait until (hopefully!) tomorrow to find out the results. They will call me if I fail the test, but Dr. Montgomery said I could also call tomorrow afternoon to check, since they don't normally call if everything is OK. I am praying that I don't have to go back and do the three hour test, mostly because it takes so long and I will have to find someone to watch Jacob. Oh, and the possibility that I could have Gestational Diabetes isn't pleasant to think about either!!

Some other random thoughts:

• I am still experiencing heartburn, but not nearly as bad since I have started taking Zantac twice a day now (once first thing in the morning and then again around 5pm). I have woken up a few times recently in the middle of the night with a burning feeling, but it hasn't been too awful...yet. I fear that it is going to get worse, just like with my last pregnancy.
  
• This baby continues to move around a lot and is most mobile in the evenings and at night. It is nice to feel him moving around, but sometimes - especially when I am trying to sleep - it can be a little bothersome. I am really trying to enjoy it though - like a lot things with this pregnancy - since this will most likely be the last time I experience this.
  
• I am always amazed at how much my already huge breasts grow (sorry for the TMI!). I just think....really, can they get any bigger???!!!
  
• I have not experienced any swelling yet, but I am having a lot of numbness in my hands. This happens, especially with my right hand, at night while I am sleeping. Almost every night, when I wake up to pee, I have to shake my hand around to try to get feeling back in it! I also have some discomfort in my right wrist, which I attribute to carpel tunnel from working on the computer so much. I am going to start wearing a brace at night to see if that helps (it didn't last time) and may wear a brace when I am working on the computer during the day if it gets much worse. Dr. Montgomery mentioned PT as a possibility if it gets really bad, but I don't think I will do that. I did PT with my last pregnancy and it never really helped.
  
• It is getting harder for me to bend over and move around, although I know it is going to get worse. I have a hard time getting up from sitting on the floor with Jacob or even sometimes just getting off the couch. I feel like I am much bigger this time around. Or just growing faster. I guess it is because it is my second pregnancy. And, I am doing much more bending, stooping, kneeling, reaching, lifting, etc this time around playing with - and chasing after - a toddler and keeping up with the normal everyday house-related activities (cleaning, laundry, washing dishes, etc).
  
• This poor little guy still doesn't have a name, although Keith has pretty much said that I can pick the name this time since he got to choose Jacob (with my blessing). Of course, he has some say in it, but we have thrown a few things around and he is fine with my choices. The problem I am having is that one week I think I love something and the next week, I don't like it anymore. I know we have three more months to decide on this, but it just seems weird since Jacob had a name at 20 weeks! I would honestly like to start calling him something other than "the baby" or "he", but I just can't decide on anything permanent!
  
• We have still not made much headway in preparing for this little guy's arrival into our home. I am trying not to stress about it - or the fact that we have every Saturday booked between now and the end of July!! Keith did spray paint the toddler bed that we got free for Jacob (from a Lightening McQueen red to black) this past weekend and we are just giving it time to permanently dry. We have purchased bins to start packing up the toys that Jacob doesn't play with anymore, but I haven't gotten around to actually removing anything! We have talked about our plan to get the room rearranged from a playroom to a bedroom, but just have to take the time to start doing things. It will all get done in time....it will all get done in time....it will all get done in time!! (I will keep telling myself that!)
  
• Not baby related, but a totally "oh my gosh where is the time going" thought.....Jacob will be three years old in two weeks!!! I am preparing for two birthday parties (one with family on June 9th and one with his friends at a local spray park on June 22nd) along with everything else that is going on. I have been meaning to do a post about our biggest little guy and what he has been doing, but I haven't gotten around to it. Maybe soon!

My next appointment with the OB is on June 20th. That will be my last monthly visit and then I will start going every two weeks. Wow....time if surely flying by!

23-24 Weeks Update

Last week, I had my monthly pre-natal exam (at 23 weeks) and it went well. The basics were done - urine sample, blood pressure (which was higher than normal at 131/80, but the nurse didn't seem too concerned), and weight (up 1 lb for a total of 7 lbs so far).

I saw Dr. Culver, one of the six doctors in the practice, and he was very nice. I hadn't seen him since early on when I was pregnant with Jacob and I was pleased that he was so friendly. I find that I often prefer female doctors since they tend to be more compassionate and understanding. But, Dr. Culver was very talkative and we discussed a lot of things.

First, he looked at my chart and said "So, we are looking at a due date of August 18th?" and I said, "Uh, no, I was told at my first appointment that it was August 24th." He seemed kinda puzzled and looked through my chart a little more. Once he read through some notes left by the other doctors, he said he didn't understand why August 18th was written down because based on my last period and his calculations, it should really be August 22nd. I told him I was fine with that since it was only two days earlier than I was originally told, but I would have been more freaked out if he had pushed it up by an entire week. Not that I have any control over when this little boy is going to come out, but I am certainly not trying to rush this pregnancy!

Once we had the due date issue figured out, he listened to the baby's heartbeat and, thankfully, it didn't take long for him to find it. It was "in the 140s" and really strong. After that, he felt my abdomen a little and measured my belly, which he said looked fine. I am certainly starting to feel bigger, although since I am overweight and have a lot of "extra" in my belly area, it is hard for most people to tell that I am pregnant. I kinda like it when the doctors say that I am growing just like I should and don't point out the extra weight I am carrying!

After the heartbeat and measurement, we discussed the Gestational Diabetes Screening test that I will have to have in the next month. Dr. Culver said that I can actually have the test done on the same day as my next pre-natal exam. Apparently the procedure has changed from three years ago when I had Jacob (back then I had to go to Lab Corp in a different part of the building for the test). This time, he said I can just let the receptionist know that I want to have the test when I check in for my appointment and she will give me the yummy (not!) sugary drink to consume. Then, after my appointment, I have to go across the street to the lab to give my blood sample once an hour has passed. I am really not trying to stress about this test, even though I did fail the one hour test when I was pregnant with Jacob (but passed the three hour test). I remember being really worried that I was going to have GD with Jacob. This time, I am just going to go with the flow and see what happens. Stressing is not going to make it be positive or negative! I am just hopeful that I can pass the one hour test this time so that I don't have to find a babysitter for Jacob and sit in the lab for three hours!

Dr. Culver also talked to me about my desired birth plan this time around. Since I had a c-section with Jacob, he said I had the option of having a repeat scheduled c-section or trying a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean). We talked about the risks of both and I told him that I have thought about this ever since I had my c-section and I think I would really like to try for a vbac. The idea of another c-section does not bother or scare me, but if I am able to naturally (with pain meds, of course!!) push this baby out, I think that is my desire. Dr. Culver said that the reasons I had to have a c-section with Jacob (my water broke at 37 weeks and I was not dilated so they had to induce me with pitocin AND Jacob was transverse so he never came down the birth canal) will hopefully not be factors with this baby so he didn't see any reason why a vbac wouldn't be a viable option. He did say that in order to have a vbac, my body will have to go into labor naturally. If that doesn't happen for some reason or if those same factors seem to occur again, I will have to have a repeat c-section. At this point, only time will tell!

As of today, I am 24 weeks and 1 day and the time seems to continue to fly by. I am trying not to get anxious about all that needs to be done before this little one arrives, but it is certainly in the back of my head. Over the next two months or so, Keith and I need to formulate a plan of moving Jacob out of his room and into what is now the playroom. This will involve moving two dressers and a toddler bed out of the garage and also finding other space in the house (or in the garage or crawl space) for the enormous amount of toys that are currently in the playroom. I am a little worried that the transition will not be easy for Jacob since he has told me numerous times that he wants to stay in his room and the baby can sleep in the playroom. I am not sure that he really knows what he is saying, other than the idea of moving out the room that he has been in for the past almost three years is probably very scary. I am hoping that once he sees that he can be in the bigger room with some of his toys, he will be ok. I guess we will see!

For the most part, I am feeling pretty good right now. I am starting to feel bigger and wearing maternity clothes for the most part (even though most of the shirts and some of the pants are still too big!). My regular clothes (especially my pants) just don't fit any longer. Most days, I find myself wearing my "comfy pants" (ie, cotton pants with drawstrings) for a majority (or all) of the day. If we have nowhere to go, I just put them on in the morning and if we go out somewhere, I change as soon as we get home! I feel a little bad for Keith because every day when he gets home I look like a frumpy housewife! haha He says he doesn't care and I am glad because at least I am comfortable!  I don't have many casual summer maternity bottoms since I was working full-time in an office during my last pregnancy. I have plenty of business casual clothes, but not a lot of things to wear to the playground or to the grocery store. I have never been a fan of shorts, but I just ordered myself two pair of shorts and a pair of capris from JCPenney.  I am hoping they fit ok and I like them because but I know that I am going to get bigger and bigger and the weather is going to get hotter and hotter in the coming months!

This baby is definitely much more of a mover than Jacob was and I feel him move numerous times a day, whenever I am still. Usually it is in the afternoons when I am sitting down to work and at night when I am on the couch, either working or watching TV. So far, the movements haven't hindered my sleep (although I am having other issues in that area) and I am enjoying feeling him move! Hopefully Keith will be able to feel it soon since he was never really able to feel Jacob move.

The huge pregnancy pillow that I bought during my last pregnancy has made its way back into our bed. It makes it a little more comfortable to sleep with it since I can put part of it between my knees and I can hug the other part while I sleep. Just like last time, I am having trouble getting comfortable on my side since I am a (non-pregnant) stomach sleeper. I am also finding that my hands and fingers are going numb during the night and, of course, I am waking up to pee at least once. Since this is the second time around, I know that these are all "normal" things that pregnant women go through, but it still doesn't make it any easier! Thankfully, this time around, I don't have to get up early to go to work and Jacob is a late sleeper. Most mornings, I sleep until he starts calling for me around 7:30-8am.

I am also dealing with an increase of heartburn no matter what I eat or drink. This is nothing new, as I dealt with it pretty bad during my last pregnancy. I have been trying to stay away from taking medication and using the all-natural Papaya Enzyme pills my sister suggested, but there are a few days that I have resorted to taking Zantac. I was on that daily with Jacob (and taking it twice a day towards the end) so I am sure it is just going to get worse. I was trying to stay away from the foods that would cause the heartburn, but now, it comes at the oddest times (like yesterday after I drank milk), so I just eat/drink what I want and deal with the consequences.

I have also experienced the weird numbness in my left thigh that I had during my last pregnancy. It hasn't happened as much as it did last time, but it is still a little bothersome at times. Last time, I had PT done but it never really helped it go away. This time I am just going to chalk it up as another pregnancy symptom and deal with it.

My next pre-natal appointment and Glucose Screening Test are on May 24th. I will post another update then, unless something exciting or unusual happens and I post sooner. :)

Mid-point Ultrasound & Gender Reveal

Many people had been asking me my preference for a boy or a girl ever since I announced I was pregnant. Honestly, I didn't feel a strong urge to "want" either one. Of course, having one of each gender has its advantages - seeing how different girls and boys can be both physically and emotionally as they grow, learning how to parent a child of each gender, having a boy to play trucks with and a girl to dress up. But, having a girl after having a boy the first time also brings more expense and a little more stress, honestly. We already have all boy stuff so having a boy would just be "easier". Well, as we all know, we have no control over the gender of our children so I was happy to just know that our baby was healthy.

Keith and Jacob really wanted this baby to be a boy. Keith has admitted that having a girl makes him a little nervous since he doesn't know "girl stuff". And, there is the expense that I already mentioned. He is happy to have another son, but he also said he would not be disappointed if it is a girl.

I honestly don't think Jacob really understands or grasps the concept that another little person is going to be joining our family in a few short months. Although, he has been telling me for the past few weeks that he wants to have a brother (he said "I want a brother like Pierce"). He made it clear that he doesn't want a sister and when I said "Well, what are we going to do if it is a girl?", he said "If it is a girl, we aren't bringing her home." I guess he really has his mind made up! haha

This past Thursday, I had my mid-point ultrasound and we were able to finally find out the gender of our sweet baby. I am often amazed at the number of people who do not find out the gender of their baby until he/she is born. I have a hard time waiting 20 weeks, much less nine months!! I must say, these 20 weeks have gone by sort of fast though!

Similar to the mid-point ultrasound that we had with Jacob, the ultrasound tech did not take much time before she said "Are you sure you want to know the gender?". It appears that our little ones are not modest at all and, thankfully, we were able to hear her say (and see for ourselves!) that it is a BOY!

We were all really excited and glad to hear that he is doing really well. The tech did have me get up twice during the exam (once to walk around & once to lay on my side for a bit) to see if the baby would change position. He was laying with his back up and it was hard for her to see some things on his left side, such as the left side of his heart and his left arm. Needless to say, as much as he was moving around (he wouldn't stay still throughout the entire exam), he never moved his entire body so she could get good pictures of what she needed. She did say that she saw enough to know that he is 100% healthy and everything looks great. His heartbeat was measured at 151 bpm and she said he weighed approximately 1 lb 2 oz (exactly what Jacob weighed when we found out his gender!).

At the end, I asked the tech if she could get a good profile picture of the baby. Like I said, he was moving around so much that it was hard to get a really good one. But, she did get this one:

I am so happy to know that our sweet baby boy is growing strong and he is right where he should be. I am excited and anxious to meet him on the outside, but I am also definitely NOT ready for him to arrive anytime soon. We still have a lot of planning, purchasing, possible redecorating, and furniture moving to do before his arrival. We are unsure if Jacob will remain in the room he is in now and the baby will take the 3rd bedroom (which is currently the playroom) or if Jacob will move to the bigger room. When I asked him, he said that he wants to stay in his room but we will see if that changes in the near future. I will hopefully have the opportunity to blog more about all of that as it happens. Stay tuned...

18 weeks 5 days update

I went to the OB today for my monthly pre-natal exam. It was nothing exciting - just the regular stuff: Weight (total of 7 lbs gained so far), BP (today it was 130/80 which is a little high for me but nothing to be concerned about), pee in a cup (all good!) and then listening the baby's heartbeat.

Dr. Wamhoff came in and we chatted for a few mins. She asked how things were going and if I had any concerns (which I said I didn't). She started to examine my belly and she made a comment about how high up my uterus seemed to be (near my belly button). I told her that I felt like this time around I was getting bigger sooner than I did with Jacob. I think the first time around it took me a lot longer to really "show". This time, I am feeling like my stomach is getting much rounder (even with the extra padding that I have there! haha).

Jacob was being unusually hyper during the appointment (at the last appointment, Dr. Wamhoff complimented me on how well behaved Jacob was and today he was not good!). He was all over the exam room while we were trying to talk and he literally climbed the wall to get on a little ledge near the windows while we were trying to listen to the doppler. He was also being very loud so I kept having to ask him to be quiet so that the doctor could hear the baby's heartbeat.

She started off by placing the doppler towards the bottom of my belly (where most babies are normally) but she couldn't get anything. Then, after about a minute of searching she found something, but it ended up being my heartbeat instead of the baby's! She told me not to worry and that she was going to find it. Then she said, "And if I don't find it, we will go do an ultrasound". I was honestly getting a little scared. About another minute later, she was running the doppler up higher (near my belly button) when she finally said "There it is". I asked her if she was sure because I couldn't really hear it and she said that she was 100% sure. Then, I asked her what the rate was and she listened a bit more and said it was in the 150s. Needless to say, I was relieved and happy to hear that things seem to be progressing as they should be.

So far, this pregnancy hasn't really been that bad in the way of symptoms. The most annoying things are the heartburn and the increased gag reflex. The heartburn seems to creep up on me at the strangest times - sometimes hours after I have eaten. It really doesn't seem to have anything to do with what I eat - I can eat spicy or really acidic foods and be fine, but then sometimes bland foods cause pain. My sister, Karen, gave me some Papaya Enzyme tablets that helped her when she was pregnant. They seem to be milder than Tums (and taste better too!) so I am popping them whenever the heartburn strikes!

The gag reflex is something that I experienced with my first pregnancy also. I am not sure what causes it but there have been many times in the recent past when I have gagged (and sometimes vomited) while I was brushing my teeth. I try to not brush too long or keep too much toothpaste/saliva in my mouth before I spit it out and that will sometimes help. It is just strange how sometimes it happens and other times it doesn't.

Right now, I am also dealing with some pain in my right shoulder whenever I lift my arm too high or reach across my body. I don't think it is pregnancy related but it is quite painful and annoying. I saw my PCP on Monday and she said that it was just a pulled muscle. She gave me some suggestions on exercises to do and said that heat and Tylenol would help. So far, nothing is really working, but I am not really able to rest it so I will have to wait and see how things progress. The doctor said I could go to PT if it doesn't get better, but I am going to hold off on that for now.

Other than that, I am feeling pretty good and actually cannot believe that I am almost halfway through this pregnancy. Just like the first time around with Jacob, I feel like the first few weeks seem to drag, but then once I hit the second trimester, time seems to fly by. We have our mid-point ultrasound scheduled for April 12th and I can't wait to find out if we are having a boy or a girl!

PA trip to visit old friends

Two weeks ago, we packed up the car and headed north to PA to visit Keith's family and friends. We hadn't been up there since Thanksgiving and we were all looking forward to the visit. Thankfully, since we are able to bring less stuff now, we were able to take Keith's car instead of my gas-guzzling Jeep. There is certainly not as much room in the Sonata, but we made it work. As you can see Jacob was happy sitting in the back seat eating a bagel with cream cheese as we headed out of town.
We left on Thursday morning around 8:30am (only 30 minutes later than we had hoped, which is pretty good for us!). We drove to Somerset to pick up Keith's mom and then onto Eighty-Four, PA to stay with Keith's cousin, Dave and his wife, Roxann. They have a beautiful (and very spacious) home that they moved into a few years ago and we had never seen it. In November, we had talked about us coming to visit sometime so when we planned this trip we asked if it would be OK for us to stay with them for part of it. We had planned to meet up with two of Keith's friends from college on Friday and Eighty-Four is closer than Somerset to where we were meeting them.

Dave and Roxann were awesome hosts - they bought the food that Jacob likes, Roxann is a wonderful cook who kept us very well fed, and they even put one of their two dogs in the kennel for the time we were there. Their dog, Dudley, is a mix of St. Bernard, Great Dane and some other things. Needless to say, he is quite big and a tad bit rough at times. Dave and Roxann were worried that he would be rough around Jacob so they decided to board him while were there.

Dave & Roxann's other dog, Otis, is so sweet and Jacob really warmed up to him quickly. He would say that he wanted to play with him or pet him, but then when Otis would come towards him, Jacob would shy away a little thinking that Otis might run him over. He also wanted to constantly pet their cat, who really didn't want to be bothered. He is just a natural lover of animals!

As you can see, Otis warmed up to Jacob too! One day, while Jacob was watching a movie on his portable DVD player, Otis jumped up on the air mattress and laid down next to him. It was pretty darn cute!


As I previously said, on Friday, we met Keith's friend Liz (who he knows from library school) for lunch. Then, we met his friend Kevin (who he knows from his undergraduate days) for dinner. I was worried about Jacob being in two restaurants for two meals in one day, but he did pretty well. Lunch was a bit more stressful than dinner because he wanted to get down from the table and was getting kind of tired by the end. Thankfully, he slept well between the two meetings and at dinner, he was content to sit at the table and play with the iPad while the three of us ate and talked.

On Saturday, Dave & Roxann hosted the rest of Keith's family so that we could all get together while we were visiting. His aunt Kay, uncle Barry, cousin Suzie and her husband, Tad all came over for lunch and together time. Jacob took a great nap after lunch which gave the adults time to visit. As is the case most of the time when we visit, the guys were all hanging out in one room (and this time, they were watching some comedy show and laughing hysterically) and we girls were in another room catching up and laughing. It is always great to gab with these fun ladies!

Once Jacob woke up from his nap, he got some Easter presents from Barry & Kay, including a puzzle. Tad, Suzie, and Kay all helped him put it together.

On Sunday afternoon, we left Eighty-Four and headed back to Somerset to spend the rest of the trip at my MIL's apartment. We were again meeting up with a friend of Keith's on Monday. Our meeting spot was closer to Somerset so it made sense to split up the trip and stay part of the time there.

I was nervous about Jacob sleeping well on this trip because this would be the first time we traveled without him in a pack-and-play. He was just getting too big for it and it wasn't very comfortable for him anymore. I purchased a child travel bed from One Step Ahead and was really excited (but also worried) about him sleeping in it. I bought this particular one because it is a mattress inside of a shell that has high sides. I was hoping this would keep him from rolling off, but I wasn't sure that he would like it since he has really only slept in something with higher sides (a crib or a pack-and-play).

He did remarkably well sleeping on it, except for the fact that there was a small leak that caused the mattress to partially deflate while he was sleeping. The first night he slept really well until he woke up about 6:30am on Friday morning and was clearly uncomfortable due to him being on a partially deflated mattress. We continued to add air to the mattress over the next few sleeps (nap on Friday, Friday night and nap on Saturday), but by Saturday afternoon we knew that he could not sleep on the mattress another night since it had completely deflated during his nap on Saturday. Thankfully, we had brought another twin size air mattress to use at Keith's mom's house so he was able to sleep on that Saturday night and for his nap on Sunday. He did roll off of the twin mattress once during the night on Saturday, but he got back up on it and slept pretty well the rest of the night.

When we got to Keith's mom's apartment on Sunday, we decided to have him sleep in her bed since he always sleeps in her room anyways. And, she has a day bed that has rails on three sides. We used pillows to "build up" the fourth side so that he wouldn't roll off and he slept great for the two nights & one nap that we were there.

Here he is getting stories read to him by Daddy after his bath on Sunday night.


Since Keith's mom lives in a one bedroom apartment on the 6th floor, there isn't much for Jacob to do. We often bring some toys along, but I worry every trip that he is going to get bored and go crazy with nothing to do. Thankfully, these days he is content looking at vidoes on Daddy's iPhone, coloring or playing games/reading books on the iPad and he did really well on this particular trip. It seems that a lot of things just keep getting easier and easier as he gets older!!

On Monday, we went to Seven Springs Mountain Resort and met up with one of Keith's oldest friends from childhood, JB. He and his wife and their son had flown up from Florida to visit JB's family. He and Keith grew up together and hadn't seen each other in over 20 years. They reconnected on Facebook and we planned this trip specifically so that we would be up there while they were visiting.

Keith used to work at the Resort. He was a night desk clerk there while he was in grad school and was also taking care of this ill grandmother (who raised him). From the stories I have heard, it was a very busy (and often stressful and tiring) time in his life, but he has a lot of great memories of the Resort. I had been there once (before we were married) and it was fun to return and bring Jacob with us this time.

Even though the temperature was very mild (in the 60s) while we were there, they had plenty of man-made snow to play in.

Here is a picture of Jacob and me with JB, his wife, Lori, their son, Thomas and JB's sister, Mary Ellen. Mary Ellen lives in Western PA but since the others live in Florida, Thomas was loving the snow! He had only seen snow once before in his seven years of life!

It was quite amusing to see people skiing and to make snowballs while I was in a short-sleeved shirt! I am sure that is something that I have never done before!


Jacob was not interested in standing still for a family photo. This one was the best of the bunch!

Seven Springs has a game room (similar to something like Chuck E Cheese where you play with tokens and win tickets) with a lot of fun games. After a delicious lunch, we spent about an hour there enjoying ourselves with the games!





On Monday night, we spent more time with Keith's mom and then we left to head back home on Tuesday morning. The car ride home was not very pleasant for me. I am not sure if it was being pregnant and being in the car so long or that I was having to turn around to help Jacob numerous times or a combination of both. I was nauseous for most of the trip and was glad when we finally pulled into the driveway.

It was certainly a busy trip but it was nice to be able to see so many friends and family members. We are blessed that Jacob is so adaptable when we are traveling. I always get worried that the car ride and the sleeping arrangements are going to be troublesome, but somehow, they always seem to work out fine.

New playset

I have been hoping to get Jacob a bigger playset for some time now. We have a smaller Little Tikes one that he loves to swing on, but he is just getting too big for it. Plus, I wanted something that his cousins or friends could also enjoy when they come over to play. I was hoping to get a wooden playset that he could use now and also "grow into" but I know that wooden sets can be quite expensive.

I have been looking on Craigslist on and off for about a year and in November, I came across a post that was offering a wooden playset for $150. I figured it must be not that nice and probably falling apart for that price, but we were pleasantly surprised when we went to see it. It is certainly not new - probably about 15 years old - but it is in really good shape. The owner was even nice enough to take it apart for us so that we just had to pick it up and then put it back together.

In December, Keith and our wonderfully helpful neighbors (who have a large pickup truck) went to pick it up. They put it in our garage and there it sat for the past three months.

It really didn't take up that much space, but it was enough that we could only park one car in the garage at a time. Thankfully, this winter was not that bad so we didn't have to scrape ice or brush off much snow from the car in the driveway.

Our weekends are usually pretty busy, so when we had an open one, Keith coordinated with our brother-in-law, Shaun and his friend, Rich to get the playset put up. Shaun showed up around 8am on Saturday and they immediately went to work. Shaun purchased and put together a MUCH bigger playset for his boys so he had some experience with this sort of thing. We were very happy to have his expertise!

Because our back yard is on a slight slope, they had to dig a trench of sorts and fill it in with gravel so that the playset would be on even ground.

I ended up having to go to the local hardware store to get more gravel. And, then they used some of the stone that was left in our yard last year when we got our driveway paved. Keith and Shaun would scoop up the stone and Rich would tamp it down. They definitely had a good system!

Keith also had to go back out to the Builders Supply store (which is thankfully only about a mile from our house) to get some bolts. Other than that, they worked non-stop and didn't have much trouble.

While the guys worked hard, Jacob had fun playing in the sandbox

and helping Mommy water some new plants. As you can see, it was a pretty warm day (almost 80 degrees in March!) so he went shirtless for awhile.

After about five hours, the playset was finished. There are still a few things that need to be done, including anchoring it to the ground. But, for the most part, it is ready to be played on...

and Jacob couldn't wait to try it out. We were playing inside after he ate lunch and he wanted to be in only a diaper. When I told him that he could go outside and play on his new playset, he didn't want to put any clothes on. So.....here he is enjoying his new playset....in March....in just a diaper. Gotta love Virginia weather!!

Yesterday, after church while Jacob was swinging, he said "I am so glad Daddy and Uncle Shaun and Mr. Rich put my new playset together. I love it." I told him, "Me too buddy. Me too!"

We're having another baby!

I am pretty sure that anyone who is reading this blog (if anyone is still reading...) already knows about our exciting news. These days, the information I disseminate pretty much goes out via Facebook (except for letting my immediate family know first, of course). Most of my family and close friends all use the Social Network and since I currently have 649 friends, what better way to let people know what is going on. There are a few people, however, including my brother (who left FB years ago and never got back on that train!) and both of my sisters (who have recently removed themselves from FB) who do not get their information that way. I do agree that blogging allows you the freedom to write more, include pictures and be able to look back on the posts years from now. So here goes...

WE ARE HAVING A BABY!! Yes, we are finally able to say that Baby #2 is on the way and due to arrive on August 24th. I have honestly been thinking about having another child since Jacob was about a year old. For me, having siblings is something that I love so much about my life. I definitely wanted to give that to Jacob if it was at all possible. Keith feels the same way and, since he is an only child, he may even feel stronger about it than I do! He just said to me last night, so are we stopping at two kids or going to try for three? I was like, What? Let's get through this one first and then we can figure out IF a third is in the plans!!!

This baby is definitely something that we have prayed about and hoped for and when we found out that I was pregnant it was really a surprise. It has been no secret to anyone close to us that we have been trying to get pregnant since we found out that we were not going on Semester at Sea...that is a completely different story that I never did blog about...basically, we were supposed to be going on SAS - a trip around the world on a ship - right NOW (Jan-April 2012). We had planned for it for almost two years and then we had to back out last July due to Keith's mom's health situation. Since her health has been so up and down lately with the cancer and related surgeries/procedures, Keith did not feel comfortable being unavailable and unable to help her for four months. Looking back now, it was the best (but hardest) decision that we could have made. And, thankfully the SAS staff were super supportive and understanding and we will hopefully be able to go on another voyage when the time is right for us.

OK, so back to the baby stuff. When we decided that we weren't going on SAS, we figured a positive outcome of it would be that we would be able to start trying for another child. As many know, conceiving for us was not easy with Jacob and I figured it would be the same with this child. I tried not to get too overly obsessed like I was the first time, just praying and hoping that God would allow us to get pregnant when the timing was right. I had an appointment with our fertility doc in August to get back on the low-dose of Clomid that I was on when I conceived Jacob. We started actively trying in September and then in mid-October, my body got all out of whack with unexplained bleeding. My doctor was unsure what was happening so he decided to put me on birth control pills for one month to get my body back to normal. We were allowed to try again in November and I could have sworn in early December that I was pregnant. I even remember telling Keith that my breasts were really sore and I just had "a feeling" that I might be pregnant. But....on the 10th of December, I started bleeding and had a regular period (or so I thought!). It was hard emotionally for me and I even had a minor meltdown to Keith. My MIL was visiting us at the time so it was hard to keep a happy face around her and Jacob while feeling very disappointed inside. I remember thinking at the time, we are never going to get pregnant! (Yes, we had only been trying for a few months. And, yes, I did realize it may be hard to conceive. But, still for someone who REALLY wanted another baby, this was all I could think at this point! I agree that it was pretty irrational but at the time, it didn't seem like that to me!)

Well, we had decided that we weren't going to "actively try" in December due to the crazy holiday schedule and traveling. I figured, we would just wait and see what happened in January once the craziness of the holidays settled. Even so, I took the Clomid in December just to keep my body on track. Once January came, I waited for my period to start and low and behold it never started. I have never been one to go over 30 days between cycles, so when I counted and realized that it had been 31 days, I was wondering, Could I be pregnant? I surely figured that wasn't that case, but I decided to take a pregnancy test anyway and low and behold....it came back positive!! Of course, I didn't believe it so I went to CVS and bought another test (one of the really expensive ones because surely those are super accurate!) just to be sure. And, yes, it came back positive too! I was definitely shocked, a bit confused, but defintitely excited!!

I called the doctor the next day and they had me come in and have a blood test that confirmed I was indeed pregnant. Then, we went back in a few days later and had an ultrasound. We were able to see our sweet little bean's heart beating and the scan told us that I was approximately 8 weeks pregnant.

We were really excited and, even though I was only 8 weeks along, I wanted to share it with my immediate family the next weekend at my nephew's birthday party. There wasn't going to be another time that we were all going to be together anytime soon so I thought it was a good time to share. I certainly didn't want to overshadow the birthday party so we waited until the very end when it was just my parents and siblings left at the party. I had written on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope and told Jacob to give it to my mom. The paper said "Are you ready for Grandbaby #7? We hope so...because Baby Weimer will be here in August!" and it had a picture of the ultrasound. I was able to capture a picture of my mom's awesome reaction when she read it. Does she look just a little shocked and excited?!

We are all very excited and can't wait to see what the next weeks have in store for us!