15 months!

So our Big Lady is now officially another quarter year older! 15 months isn't really a big milestone, though it does come with a well-visit at the pediatrician next week, which I always enjoy (until the shots part, of course.) I love to check-in with the doctor and make sure the munchkin is healthy and right on track. I'm also interested to see how much she's grown. We're convinced she's finally slowed down in the growth department, as her little belly is slowly melting away. I'll be sure to update everyone on Monday!

This kiddo is getting crazier and more hilarious every day. Here's what she's up to these days:

- Daddy is no longer the bee's knees (in the eyes of Brooke, that is...I still think he's pretty cool.) Mommy has become her bestest good friend. She still talks about Daddy all day long and even sits by the door to wait for him at the end of the day. But that's where it ends. When he gets home, she's all "Good to see ya, Dad, but I'm gonna head back on over to Mom, k?" She and I are attached at the hip now. If I leave the room, she follows me. If I go upstairs, leaving her with Daddy, she stands at the bottom of the stairs calling/crying for me. It's endearing, but also tiring. Why? Well...

- Her favorite word is "up". I bet I hear "up! up! up!" 70 million times a day. She wants to be up on the couch with me or be picked up by me or be up on my lap. It's as if she heard my OB tell me that I should limit how much I pick her up, so now she's trying to soak it all in while she can. I'm telling you, this girl knows something is up, that somebody is going to invade her little world very soon and occupy her Mommy's time...and lap.

- Tooth #10 made an appearance this month, another molar. That means we can start moving on to crunchier foods soon!

- She is learning to feed herself with utensils. It's a very fun, but very messy, process. I'm praying she'll master it soon, especially before Baby Reeder comes.

- She's gotten really proficient at finding body parts. She knows where her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, hands, feet, neck, and back are, and we're working on knees right now. She loves to point them out on Mommy & Daddy, too, which is adorable...until a chubby little finger starts inching towards your eyeball as she gleefully says "Eyes!"
- She had her first truly bratty experience at a restaurant this month. It was the most frustrating lunch of my life, the first time I've ever been truly embarrassed by her behavior. She was whiny and rambunctious, throwing grilled cheese on the floor and purposely disobeying me. Thankfully, we were just eating with family, so they were the only ones to witness this blessed event. She was the definition of a girl who seriously should have taken a morning nap!
- Morning naps are still hit-and-miss. She's still getting a good 2-3 hours of naps a day, whether it's divided into two or just the one. And she's finally (hallelujah!) sleeping through the night...most of the time. I have to intervene (i.e. go in and give her her pacifier and lay her back down) every so often the first few hours she's in bed, but after midnight it's very rare for me to have to go in. I'd say it happens once a week. She cries out a lot in the middle of the night, but she usually puts herself right back to sleep.
- Emptying Mommy's wallet is her favorite thing to do. The girl loves her some cash and credit cards!

- Despite the ever-present tantrums, she's really starting to get sweet, too. Like this morning, when she melted my heart into a pile of mush. Back in my 1st trimester, you'd often find me laying on the floor of her playroom, watching her play while I laid there exhausted and trying not to throw up. It was an almost-daily occurrence, and I frequently used one of her stuffed animals as a pillow. Well, today, I laid down on the floor in the family room, pretending to go to sleep. Brooke looks at me, runs into her playroom, then runs back in with her big stuffed snowman (which is almost the size of her, so not an easy thing to run with.) She hands it to me and says "Nigh-night". Um, I almost cried at the sweetness of her gesture. Such a big heart in my Big Lady!

I love looking back at old blogs posts to see where she was vs. where she is now, so I'm going to once again document her vocab progress. So many words!

New Words at 15 months:
Brooke!
eyes
ears
neck
yeah (still working on yes)
uh oh
drink
snack (pronounced "nack" b/c she hasn't mastered the "s" sound yet)
up
down
sock (pronounced "dock")
shoe
pat
back
blueberry (pronounced "blue-a-wee", this is hilarious)
duck
hop
happy
Mickey

New Sounds: lion, bear, duck, the horn on the bus (beep! beep!), what a bunny does (hop hop hop)

And because I've been terrible about posting pics lately, here are even more pictures from this month!

It's very rare to get any pictures where she's actually looking at the camera anymore. She's way too on-the-go to stop for photos. But I did get a few!

  Becoming quite the little monkey!

Freshly bathed babies in robes? Yum!

 I'll ask her to say "cheese" and she does, she just doesn't look at me when she does it. But, really, can you handle this robe? Because I can't!

Hey Daddy!

How far along?: 18 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss: Forgot to check, but it was a pretty healthy week between food & exercise (well, except for the steak tacos & sopapillas I had Saturday night at Abuelo's...it was date night, so I get a pass. Oh & also, they were soooo good so I don't even care.)
Maternity clothes?: Getting tired of wearing the same things all the time (already!) so I'm ready for the warm weather to stick around permanently.
Sleep: Having a very hard time falling asleep, but thankfully I'm getting better at staying asleep once I do. Very few bathroom breaks right now.
Movement: A lot. And I've started to feel it while standing, too. But the absolute best part? Daddy got to feel a few kicks this afternoon! It's so early (a few weeks before we felt things with Brooke,) so he's convinced it's because we're having another giant baby. Sigh. All I care about is that Daddy & Baby have now met, so hopefully that makes this pregnancy even more real for the husband. (Maybe now he'll be ready to start talking about names...)
Food/Cravings: Grape juice.
Gender: No feeling this week, but I did tell the husband last night that I think we are destined to be parents to a boy, whether it's with this baby or another.
New w/pregnancy #2: Despite the baby kicks & the growing belly & the fact that we talk about the baby all the time, I still don't completely believe that I'm having another one. I find myself forgetting sometimes (which NEVER happened with my first pregnancy). I just stare at my belly in disbelief at times. Am I really gonna be pushing out another one in 5 months?
What I miss: Nothing really. Loving being pregnant today!
What I am looking forward to: Adding Baby Reeder into our lazy Sunday family time. We sat on the couch as a family in a Brooke-sandwich watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse this morning. I sang along to all the songs (ALL of them...we watch it a lot), Daddy tried to remember the words Mickey says in every episode, and Brooke-o said "cheers!" at all the appropriate times. It was such a simple moment, but such a beautiful family moment. Can't wait for Baby Reeder to join us :)
Best moment this week: Looking through pictures from Brooke's birth and the few days after it brought back a flood of memories of just how awesome it was. And got me crazy-excited for Baby Reeder to come into our family.
Weekly Wisdom: Graeter's makes the absolute greatest ice cream on the planet. Hands down.
Milestones: I survived this week. Between lingering morning sickness and a crabby toddler, I wasn't so sure I would. That should be celebrated.

Enough already.

Dearest Morning Sickness:

As awesome as it has been getting to know you so much better with this pregnancy, I feel like things have gone a bit too far. I was much more comfortable with our relationship during my last pregnancy; that kind of casualness is more my style. This whole lingering thing you're doing this time around is bothersome. Scratch that, it's hell. And I'm over it.

So I'm breaking up with you. It's not you, it's me. Actually, no, it is you.

To sum up, let me spell it out for you: For the love of all that is holy, LEAVE ME ALONE.

Regards,
Sarah

Jammers.

Brooke & I spent 36 hours like this:

In our pajamas. While my GAP sweats & Dayton t-shirt aren't nearly as cute as her Minnie PJ's, they are just as comfy. And this is how we lived from Saturday night around 7pm until Monday morning. And it was glorious. We had nothing to do, nowhere to go. The only reason the husband got out of his sweats was because he showered after doing yard work (and he very adamantly reminded me that he put on jeans after showering, not sweats, so he wasn't in pajamas for the whole day - ok, Judgy McJudgerson, but you still didn't leave our little 1/2 acre...in fact, you were just less comfortable Sunday evening, so I think we win.)

It wasn't the first time we've had an all-day Jammer Party...and I guarantee it won't be the last!

Good week!

I had my 16-week OB appt on Friday, and all is well with Mama & Baby Reeder :) Brooke went with me & behaved like an angel. She hammed it up with all the nurses (who LOVED her, of course) and those in the waiting room, all while eating her Cheerios and grapes. She sat patiently in her stroller as the nurse took my blood pressure and weighed me (I set a personal record this month with weight gain....whoops....I more than made up for those 2 lbs I lost last month.) But my very expressive little one gave the nurse the evil eye as she lifted up my shirt and put the Doppler on my belly to hear the heartbeat. It was so cute; she's already protective of her baby brother or sister (and her Mom, too.) Even though she didn't know what she was hearing, she got to hear the heartbeat coming in right at 150 bpm.

It was the first time I've ever taken her in to the office with me, so my OB finally got to see how big Brooke really is (she didn't deliver Brooke, I had 2 other doctors in the practice during my lovely 3-day stay at the hospital.) Her first comment was "Oh my, she's really long." The only response I could come up with was "...& really heavy", which led right into the one & only question I had for her that day: how long can I continue to carry her? I (& many concerned family members) have been wondering what my weight limit is, considering Cheeks is weighing in around 32 lbs these days. I was very happy to hear the limit is 50 lbs, and that any heavy lifting I do up to that will have no effect on the baby. The only risk I run carrying her around is injuring myself, mainly ligaments or muscles in my back or legs. So she encouraged me to limit how much I carry her when I can, but totally understood that I can't not lift her multiple times a day. I realize that it's only going to get harder to handle Brooke as I get bigger, so we're practicing independence with her each day (going up & down the stairs, walking in public while holding my hand, fetching her own shoes/coat/whatever, etc.)

It's been a pretty decent week, so my whining should be at a minimum during my update today - hooray!

How far along?: 17 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss: +1.5 this week, +6.5 in total. The OB's office has me up slightly from this, but I'm gonna go ahead and blame it on heavy winter clothes.
Maternity clothes?: The belly is "really popping out" as the doctor put it, so most of my regular shirts are too short.
Sleep: Not great. Nights without Tylenol PM are significantly worse, so I'm trying hard to remember to take it.
Movement: Oh yes. Still being jabbed pretty low in the abdomen, though the jabs are slowing moving north!
Food cravings: Well after the colossal weigh-in at the doctor, I guess I should be more mindful of my eating habits. The OB said she wasn't at all worried, but I'm taking it as motivation to start eating even better. I'm getting sick less often, so I think that will help. Oh, and I only had 2 Pop-tarts all week.
Gender: I still feel boy this week. I had a dream about it last night (not about having a boy, but feeling like it was going to be a boy...less convincing, I realize.)
New w/pregnancy #2: This pregnancy really is going very fast. With Brooke, time stood still some weeks. But this pregnancy is just moving right along. I mean, we're almost half-way, kids!
What I miss: I just realized yesterday that the Root Beer Stand will be opening soon. That makes me long for hot dogs! And I was super depressed to realize that it will probably close down for the season around the time I have the baby, meaning I'll probably go the whole summer without a foot long....so so sad.
What I am looking forward to: August. The baby, not the heat.
Best moment this week: Brooke loves to give the baby a kiss. She kisses Mommy's belly all the time. And Baby Reeder is privileged to get real, closed-mouth, lip-smacking kisses, unlike the open-mouthed slobber fests we usually get. She gets the biggest smile on her face when she does it, too, which just warms my little heart. It has happened so many times this week that the whole week has been the "best moment".
Weekly Wisdom: Not many pregnant women seem to admit this, but early baby flutters/kicks are weird, and not really a good-weird. I mean, it's thrilling beyond belief, but it feels super awkward. Just sayin'.
Milestones: I got my first "Congratulations, I didn't know you were pregnant" comment. Already. I guess I look pregnant and not just fat anymore!

We're not Irish.

Not even 1%. But we can pretend just for today, right?

(I forgot to take a picture of just Brooke today, so I cropped her out of a picture with some of her cousins. See that skinny little one behind Brooke? That's her almost-3-year-old cousin...they wear the same size.)

Hope you had a lovely St. Patrick's Day! We're off to the OB in the morning, so I'll be sure to get an update about Baby Reeder on here soon.

Lent.

If you had seen Brooke & I on Wednesday, there'd have been no doubt in your mind that Lent started this week. Brooke got her first ashes (I think...she went to mass with me last year, too, but I don't remember them putting ashes on my 8-week-old.) She wasn't so sure about it, but why would she be? A weird, old man she didn't know was trying to touch her with his very dirty finger? I mean, c'mon, that's strange. My ashes were so dark, I could have distributed some to the rest of the Church straight off my head.

The point of all this? Oh, yeah: Lenten promises. I pulled the pregnant card and decided I didn't have to give something up this year. And I know people always say "You don't have to give something up, you can just do something," but I think this is crap. How much of a sacrifice is that? But this year...wait for it...I'm doing something. 3 things, actually, all of which (if I stick to them) should greatly benefit my family.

 1. Eat more fruits & veggies. I'm making sure I eat at least 1 fruit and 1 veggie a day. I know, lame. This should not be that hard. But it's been really hard lately, what with my aversion to all things healthy, so I'm making a conscientious effort to make this happen. I'm pregnant, so this is kinda necessary.

2. Make it to Church every week. We've been lacking in this department lately. If you looked in my check book, you wouldn't see very many donations for 2011. And it has bothered me; I want our kids to grow up with a strong sense of faith and, to me, that includes weekly trips to Church. I've been using the excuse that Brooke's naps coincide with all the mass times....which they do. But since we're hit-and-miss with morning naps anyway, we're purposefully skipping at least one a weekend so we can adjust the other nap time and make it to church. So far we're 1 for 1.

3. Try to be on time for things. And I do say try. This was the husband's request suggestion. He hates to be late for things, and it's typically my fault if we are. However, and this is a big however, I don't think I'm really all that bad. My problem is twofold. First of all, I’m a really bad judge of how long it takes to get somewhere, like driving time. So I often don’t plan to leave home early enough. And second, as the only purse-carrying member of the family, I am the keeper/bringer of all of the munchkin’s things. So it’s my job to gather those things before we leave. Plus make sure she’s put together enough to go out in public. Plus make sure I’m put together enough to go out in public. That’s a lot of jobs, each of which can delay me on even my most-organized days. So for these 40 days, I’m going to try to plan ahead and keep our family punctual.

We’ll see how this goes... Number 2 should be easy, number 3 is doable, but number 1 – that’s going to require some extra effort. But I owe it to Baby Reeder to get back on the healthy train.

Is it spring yet?

How far along?: 16 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss:+2 this week, +5 in total.
Maternity clothes?: Pants, for sure. I've been wearing some maternity shirts this week, but mostly because I'm sick to death of my winter wardrobe & needed to see myself in something different.
Sleep: I jinxed myself last week. I'm back to peeing 84 times a night, and I've added a few pillows into the mix. It's been a rough week. Just like last pregnancy, I haven't been able to lay flat on my back since very early on (8 weeks or so), meaning my poor hips are already taking a beating.
Movement: YES YES YES! Baby Reeder is crazy-active already! It makes me wonder just how early Brooke was moving around in there before I knew that's what I was feeling. This little kiddo is jabbing Mama all day...and I love it :)
Food cravings: I'm eating like it's going out of style. No particular craving, although I do find myself suggesting we go get ice cream quite frequently... (We only went once this week, don't worry.)
Gender: I feel boy this week. Every time I notice something different about this pregnancy from the last one, I think "Does that mean this is a boy?" I realize this is irrational, but this super-active baby has had me thinking boy all week!
New w/pregnancy #2: Throwing up so violently that blood vessels burst in my face...3 times this week.
What I miss: Warm weather. Hurry, spring, hurry!
What I am looking forward to: Hearing that tiny heartbeat again at this week's doctor's appointment.
Best moment this week: Realizing that I was, indeed, feeling this babe moving around. And then feeling him several times a day, every day this week.
Weekly Wisdom: Pregnancy only lasts 40 (or, in my case, 41+) weeks. So all the crappy parts of pregnancy do eventually end. Though this is hard to remember when you spend the morning on the bathroom floor...
Milestones: Feeling baby move is a very big deal for me. A doubter by nature, I worry all the time about my little guy in there, wondering and hoping that all is well. I'm a huge fan of reassurance, so things like doctor's appointments are highly anticipated by me. But now, I have a little friend swimming around in there, bumping into Mommy, to provide that reassurance on a daily basis.

Battle Royale.

No one ever said that parenting was easy.

And, trust me, we didn't enter into this gig lightly. We didn't really know what we were in for when we decided to have baby #1, just that it would be hard and rewarding all at the same time. I had spent my fair share around babies since I was very young, babysitting for lots of munchkins since I was, like, 12. And both the husband and I watched (and sometimes helped) as our 2 oldest nieces were raised from infancy to toddlerhood. While I think he was a bit apprehensive as we brought our squishy little baby home, he quickly learned what I already knew: that we could handle this.

And it has been, from the very beginning, both hard and rewarding. Not a day has gone by that I haven't stopped for a split second and thought to myself "I have no idea what I'm doing with this kid." But then I got over myself and realized that I actually do.

Until now. We have entered what I consider to be the most challenging stage we've met thus far as parents. No joke. I asked the husband the other night which stage he thought was hardest; he went with the 2nd-3rd months, when she was more alert but harder to keep happy. I think he was a tad surprised when I told him my answer. I feel very overwhelmed by this stage.

I guess an explanation is in order. I've said it before, but I feel like our 14-month-old has already entered the Terrible Two's. She is defiant, testing boundaries all the time. I feel like everything is a battle. The other day, we "fought" over which coat she would wear. So not kidding. She really wanted to wear a thin fleece, but Mean Mommy thought it was too cold for that. Oh, the struggle! Like, literally, a physical struggle as I tried to pull the fleece out of her hands and put the puffy winter coat on her wiggly, angry body. I really do try to pick my battles, but when it comes to safety & her well-being, Mommy has to be the winner. She knows what she can/can't get into at our house (cabinets, drawers, etc.), but that doesn't stop her from doing it anyway, with a very naughty grin on her face. She's even bold enough to look at us just before she does it, smile as we say "Don't do it, Brooke" and then carry on with her mischief while laughing. The word "no" has very little effect on her, nor does the use of her middle name (I really need to stop calling her "Brooke Mary" during happy times so it has more effect when I'm trying to be stern...) It also doesn't help that she's very smart; we can't pull one over on her anymore. If she asks for juice and we give her water, she knows. And she calls us out on it, with a crinkled face and a whiny "Djoose!", like "Hello, this liquid is not fruity, folks!"

This is foreign territory for me. Babysitters aren't in charge of that much discipline, and they certainly aren't expected to set up the framework of boundaries & rules. What do you do when your toddler decides that she is in charge? I'm sure I'll figure it out. I'm sure this is the pregnancy talking, as I just don't have as much energy to fight right now. I'm also sure that this is what tons of first-time parents feel from the very beginning; I guess I should count my blessings that it has taken over a year for me to start feeling like a complete parenting dummy.

I can't leave this as a woe-is-me post, because while insanely challenging, this is also an incredibly rewarding time, too. Having a munchkin that can give hugs and sloppy kisses on demand, adorably says "A-mom!" as you enter her room in the morning, and blows kisses as you leave...well that's just awesome. She is a big-time Daddy's girl, but also loves to cuddle with her Mommy. And that's pretty much the greatest thing of all time.

Oh, hi belly.

Baby Reeder at 14w6d

See? Belly. Already. I compared this picture to those from my last pregnancy - yeah, this is about where I was around 20 weeks last time. I guess my 9 lb 9 oz baby really did stretch everything out.

Oh, and I'm 100% certain I'm feeling baby moving around in there now! Lots of tiny little punches (very low, right where baby should be at this time) in the last 48 hours. Hooray, baby!

15 weeks.

I'm finally all caught up with blog posts, so what you read from here on out will be real-time. However, it may seem like you've been reading the same stuff for weeks. That's because I'm still throwing up, still struggling with sleep, and still a whiny pregnant lady. I'm sick of being sick and tired of being tired. I'm so, so ready for 2nd trimester bliss. I love this babe and can't wait to meet him or her, but it would be a much easier wait if I started feeling better soon. Cross your fingers for me!

How far along?: 15 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: I think I'm up 2 lbs over the past 2 weeks, putting me at +3 lbs total.
Maternity clothes?: Thankfully, I fit into all of my sister's maternity clothes this pregnancy, & her babies were born in the same season as this one will be. I've gotten by without buying anything...yet.
Sleep: Not horrendous, but not great. Down to roughly 2 bathroom breaks a night and currently only using my same 2 pillows.
Movement: Tentatively saying "maybe". There may have been some movement at the husband's basketball game today. I'll wait to see if I feel any more over the next few days before I officially think it was, in fact, Baby Reeder. (But if so, yay yay yay!!!)
Food cravings: My diet is such crap right now. Veggies are pretty much out and fruits are at a minimum. But Cheetos are in and I'm still on a Pop-tart-a-day regimen. Doctor says to eat what sounds good, so I am.
Gender: No feeling either way.
New w/pregnancy #2: I don't remember having daily headaches with #1. They are pretty brutal, coming and going throughout the day. It's surely sinus-related at times, but I know it's baby-related most of the time.
What I miss: Clear(er) skin. I haven't had truly clear skin since I was, oh, 10. But it's been especially bad lately. It's quite unfair to have to endure all the crap that comes with being pregnant, all the while looking like a 13-year-old in the middle of puberty.
What I am looking forward to: Full-time baby kicks.
Best moment this week: Brooke "found Mommy's baby" and then gave the "baby" a kiss. My heart melted right then and there.
Weekly Wisdom: Don't assume that morning sickness is over just because you have a solid sick-free week. Because it'll come back. With a vengeance.
Milestones: Baby is up to 2.5 oz and 4 inches (crown-to-rump), roughly the size of a large apple. No wonder I'm so big already (picture to come soon!)

2nd Trimester.

(This post was originally written on 2/27/2011, at 14w0d pregnant. This is the last of the old posts; everything will be up-to-date from here on out!)

How far along?: 14 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: No idea. I lost the weight pretty quickly after Brooke, so I’m naively assuming I’ll follow the same pattern this time and, therefore, just am not obsessing about it.
Maternity clothes?: My pre-pregnancy jeans are no longer wearable, just super uncomfortable. So it’s either maternity jeans or sweat pants these days.
Sleep: The upper respiratory infection was in full swing this week, so sleep was at a minimum.
Movement: Not yet.
Food cravings: There’s some double chocolate chip Graeter’s in our freezer that has been beckoning me each night. I didn’t give in every night...but the pint is long gone.
Gender: I’d love to give Brooke a sister at some point, as my relationship with my sister is pretty awesome. Will it be baby #2?
New w/pregnancy #2: Lifting/carrying around 31 extra lbs all the time.
What I miss: Feeling good. It’s been a few months now. I feel like things are starting to turn around, though, so we’ll see...
What I am looking forward to: A slightly bigger belly. Because while I’m starting to show, I probably still just look fat to most people.
Best moment this week: I’m finally starting to get some of my energy back! Hooray!
Weekly Wisdom: Not very wise this week, sorry.
Milestones: We have sailed right into the 2nd Trimester, which is just crazy!! Are we really already at 14 weeks?

165.

(This post was originally written on 2/20/2011, at 13w0d pregnant.)

Heartbeat Day was fantastic. It took her a few minutes, but the nurse finally found that strong, little thump thump thump. 165 bpm. I immediately felt a wave of relief go over me. I had no real reason to believe we wouldn’t hear it, that it wouldn’t be there. Especially considering how craptastic I’ve still been feeling. But it didn’t matter; my own heartbeat was probably around 165 in unfounded fear. But when she finally found it, that most perfect noise allowed me to breathe again. I instantly fell in love. I am very confident that we will be a family of four by Labor Day :)

How far along?: 13 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: -2 this week, +1 total. I spent all of Wednesday in bed and the weight just fell off all in one day.
Maternity clothes?: Oh hello, maternity jeans! Lovely to see you again!
Sleep: PROGRESS! I’m finally getting some sleep. But this nasty cold I seem to have developed in the last 24 hours is bound to squash that.
Movement: Of course not, but now that I know what to expect, will I feel it earlier this time? If so, this may be just a few weeks away :)
Food cravings: I’ve had a Pop-tart every day for the last week. Even Wednesday, the day nothing (else) sounded good. Unfrosted strawberry only. And no matter what my sister & husband think, the edges are the best part; I could totally forgo the filling.
Gender: If an easy pregnancy = girl, then this one is definitely a boy.
New w/pregnancy #2: I don’t remember having this many digestive issues. My stomach rumbles all day long. Bad enough that I even talked/whined to the doctor about it. She gave me a few things to try, but pretty much said I have to suck it up for a few more weeks.
What I miss: This week? Alcohol. I could’ve used a 6-pack of Bud Light this week.
What I am looking forward to: We have started spreading the news! I love doing it and I’m looking forward to continuing!
Best moment this week: Hearing that mighty heartbeat. 165 beats per minute.
Weekly Wisdom: When they say that you start showing earlier with each subsequent pregnancy, believe them. My oh my has my little fat belly popped out in the last few days. I went from “Man, she’s gained a little weight lately” to “Wait, could she be pregnant or has she just been eating a lot of Pop-tarts?” in a matter of 3 days. Good thing we’re telling people now or else I’d be wearing a lot of hooded sweatshirts this week.
Milestones: Heartbeat, news-spilling, bump-popping...it’s been a crazy-awesome week (with the exception of Wednesday, of course.)

Heartbeat Day!

(This post was originally written on 2/18/2011, at 12w5d pregnant.)

HAPPY HEARTBEAT FRIDAY! Not gonna lie, I’m a bit nervous, but mostly just big-time excited. Come on, baby, let Mommy (& Daddy) hear ya!!

Under 200.

(This post was originally written on 2/13/2011, at 12w0d pregnant.)

How far along?: 12 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: No idea. Just not as concerned with it this time so I keep forgetting to check.
Maternity clothes?: Coming soon.
Sleep: Sigh. At least I’ve figured out how to nap again.
Movement: Um, no.
Food cravings: The food aversions are kicking in. And, unfortunately, they are coming in the form of fruits. But I am loving fruit juices and fruit snacks....do they count?
Gender: No feeling this week.
New w/pregnancy #2: Still getting sick all day long. And it sucks. So, so much.
What I miss: Turkey sandwiches.
What I am looking forward to: I’m renaming Friday this week as Heartbeat Friday! So excited to get that little piece of reassurance that will give me the confidence to start spreadin’ our good news.
Best moment this week: I dunno.
Weekly Wisdom: Half of a Pepsi can be both a life-saver and an enemy (yep, only half - caffeine is being limited.) The caffeine helps my headaches, the sugar keeps the nausea at bay, but the bubbles....they cause some issues.
Milestones: This babe is growing like a weed. Already 2 inches long and weighing half an ounce, according to “the books”. Of course, I am growing a Reeder baby, so I’m sure he’s already off the charts. Oh, and also, WE’RE UNDER 200 DAYS!!!