2nd trimester already?

Originally written on 10/13/13 at 13w0d

How far along?: 13 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: +3 this week, +6 total. The OB told me this week that I'm not one of her patients where she worries about weight gain, which I heard as "Go to town, preggo!"
Maternity clothes?: Maternity jeans only.
Sleep: It requires a good amount of pillows, but it’s not terrible. Here’s hoping it stays that way this week while the husband is on a work trip.
Movement: Not yet.
Food cravings: Not really. Vegetables are getting a little easier to stomach & serving my kids their yogurt doesn’t completely send me over the edge, so the aversions are subsiding.
Gender: Since the nausea has significantly slowed already (just like Brooke’s pregnancy) and the baby’s heartbeat was high (165 bpm), I’m leaning more towards Team Pink right now.
New w/pregnancy #3: Headaches, headaches, headaches.
What I miss: Y’all, I’d kill for a club sandwich from Jersey Mike’s.
What I am looking forward to: The leftover fried rice that’s in my refrigerator. Wait, you don’t even understand. We eat Chinese, like, maybe twice a year. It’s just the one cuisine that makes me feel like a terribly unhealthy human being when I eat it, so I rarely suggest it. But last night we indulged and oh my god was it good. And I can’t wait to dive into the leftovers, mostly the fried rice (which I eat cold.) And, yes, last night’s indulgence might have a teensy bit to do with that 3 lb weight gain up there.
Best moment this week: It’s a tie between hearing the baby’s strong heartbeat (magic!) and telling the kids they’re going to have a little sibling. Just so hard to pick :) (It’s been a good week!)
Weekly Wisdom: The minute you start telling people that the nausea is getting better and you’re finally feeling better, you’ll throw up in the bathroom at Panera because even the sight of a bagel is too much to handle. Womp womp!
Milestones: Oh hey, second trimester!

BBQ chips, kids.

Originally written on 10/6/13 at 12w0d

 

Baby Reeder at 11w5d

 

How far along?: 12 weeks, 0 days

Total weight gain/loss: +0 this week, +3 total.
Maternity clothes?: Y’all, the belly has popped. Like, if I don’t avoid people I’m not ready to tell yet, they’re gonna figure it out. So while I haven’t worn any yet, the maternity clothes are minutes away. (If the weather were actually fall-like, as opposed to 84 & sunny, I would most certainly have worn my maternity jeans by now. I’ve been getting away with shorts & summer dresses this week. Stupid summery October.)
Sleep: Depends on multiple factors, but mainly whether or not I’ve taken Tylenol PM. I know...already! I’ve been trying really hard to take it sparingly, like only when it’s been a rough day or I’m anticipating a rough night. And I don’t take it when the husband isn’t gonna be here, just in case the sleep gets deep (which has been somewhat of a challenge during his business trip weeks!)
Movement: Nope, but it started around 15 weeks with Joe, so I won’t be surprised if it happens by Halloween!
Food cravings: Honey BBQ chips. Something I hardly ever eat normally. (Again, I usually choose sweet over salty.)
Gender: I’m going boy. This pregnancy is pretty similar to my last.
New w/pregnancy #3: Having to be careful about what I say when little ears are around. When I was at this point in my pregnancy with Joe, Brooke was only 14 months old (I KNOW!) So we could pretty much say whatever we wanted – she didn’t have any idea what we were talking about! But now, she is VERY aware of what’s going on and hears EVERYTHING. (She often brings up things I talk on the phone about when I had no clue she was listening.) We’re waiting for the reassurance of the heartbeat before we tell the kids the news, so we have to watch ourselves for a few more days.
What I miss: There were some yummy looking grilled hot dogs at a birthday party last night that were taunting me. I consoled myself with BBQ chips. (Yes, it's becoming a problem. I mean, you saw that belly up there, didn't you?)
What I am looking forward to: Hearing that rapid heartbeat & feeling that overwhelming sense of relief wash over me. 2 days, guys, 2 days.
Best moment this week: I’m pretty excited that the transition from looking just fat to looking pregnant has begun! Yay for the bump :)
Weekly Wisdom: Sorry, friends, nothing.
Milestones: Baby weighs half an ounce this week. Considering the size of my belly already, he or she only has 175.5 ounces to go! (That’s 11 lbs, in case you’re not interested in doing math right now.)

Eleven.

Originally written on 9/30/13 at 11w1d

How far along?: 11 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: +3 this week, so +3 total. The carbs caught up to me.
Maternity clothes?: Nope. But I look & feel pretty, um, thick. So it’s a matter of time.
Sleep: Such a bummer. Haven’t gotten enough naps in this week.
Movement: Obviously not.
Food cravings: No real cravings, though I find myself searching for salty snacks over sweet ones which is soooo not me.
Gender: We’ll see :)
New w/pregnancy #3: I don’t remember ever having such killer headaches in the 1st trimester before. I’ve had these never-ending headaches just paralyzing me the last few days :( I was in bed most of yesterday because of it.
What I miss: Not spending a large chunk of my day running to the bathroom.
What I am looking forward to: Heartbeat Day! 8 days and counting...
Best moment this week: Letting a lot of family members in on our little secret :)
Weekly Wisdom: Husbands are invaluable during 1st trimesters.
Milestones: I made it to 11 weeks with 2 toddlers at my feet. I’d say that’s milestone enough, no?

Ten weeks.

Originally written on 9/22/13 at 10w0d

How far along?: 10 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: 0, which is semi-surprising considering my diet of late.
Maternity clothes?: None. But a new pair of maternity skinny jeans are waiting on my dresser for when the day arrives. The only other time I’ve really been pregnant in cold weather was the end of Brooke’s pregnancy, but I’m starting this one out 25 lbs lighter so none of those things will fit me.
Sleep: It’s rough, friends. I’m uncomfortable already, even with 4 pillows. And just as I get comfortable, 1 of 2 things happens: a child starts crying or I have to pee. Because I pee, at minimum, 3 times a night...which isn’t at all annoying.
Movement: No.
Food cravings: None, but plenty of food aversions. Vegetables and salads are not my friends. Neither is yogurt (except for the frozen kind.) Most of the time, the only things that sound even remotely decent to me are carbs (bagels, cereal, english muffins, etc.)
Gender: I think girl.
New w/pregnancy #3: Nothing new just yet, same crap from last time.
What I miss: Being able to stand up without feeling like I’m gonna pass out 2 seconds later.
What I am looking forward to: Spreading the news with everyone so I can stop pretending I’m not about to fall asleep standing up all the time.
Best moment this week: Hard to say. Just feeling blessed to be doing this again.
Weekly Wisdom: Don’t plan your pregnancy around the time your 3 year old is dropping her afternoon nap. Because all she wants to do is taaaaaaaalk to me and all I want to do is sleeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Milestones: All of the baby’s vital organs have developed. Now it’s just time to start putting on weight! Grow, baby, grow!

Tired & sick.

Originally written on 9/11/13 at 8w3d

A lot of pregnancy symptoms take a few weeks to really kick in. But the exhaustion? That starts the minute you see those 2 lines, if not before. I spend the entire day yawning. Like, the whole day. I’ve pretty much napped almost daily the last 4 weeks (thank goodness my children love to watch shows and quickly announce “it’s all done!” when it’s over.) And my bedtime has been moved up an hour or more each day. I’ve noticed a serious correlation between exhaustion and nausea – the nausea is ramped up when I’m extra-tired. Because I’m nauseated enough, I’m doing my best to get some real rest.

Oh, the nausea. Morning sickness, my ass. All day, most days. I’ve lost my appetite for most things. I’m pretty much living on bagels, cereal, & Life Savers. (And I may or may not have revisited my old friend from my last pregnancy, Pop-tarts. I don’t know why, but it’s the one thing that always sounds okay when everything else makes me queasy.) My diet is about 90% carbs. The OB & I agree that nutrition can come later – right now, it’s survival mode. Eating more frequently is key – once I hit the 2 hour mark, I’m basically screwed.

The one new thing I don’t remember from either of my last pregnancies is a very short-temper. Maybe it’s because I have 2 bona fide toddlers that love to fight with each other and press my buttons this time. But I find that my fuse is short and my patience is very limited. I’m just too tired and too sick to want to deal with crabbiness & defiance by the little people. Now that I’ve recognized it, I’m making a very strong effort to improve this.

One day at a time. Just one long, exhausting, nauseating day at a time.

Two pink lines.

Originally written on 8/10/13 at 3w6d.

It's 6:24 a.m.

Brooke woke me up crying because she had to go to the bathroom. So after rushing her to the potty & coaching her through the process, I carted her back to bed. And here I lie, 18 minutes later, wide awake. With absolutely no sign of going back to sleep. My mind is going a mile a minute & my heart is pounding in my chest. Oh but how full that heart is.

Because about 9 minutes ago I saw 2 pink lines on a pregnancy test. #3 is on his or her way.

Currently feeling...
- Blessed that He thinks we're doing a good enough job with the 1st two to give us another chance to love someone so completely.
- Like the most fertile human being alive.
- A great wave of responsibility to take even better care of myself these next several weeks to give this pregnancy a fighting chance.
- Exhausted because, let's face it, pregnancy is tiring. (Well, that & I went to bed at 1 a.m. & it's now only 6:33, so...)
- Bummed that I have to wait several weeks to tell my mom & my sister...unless they figure it out before then which is way more likely.
- Hopeful that our news will bring some much-needed joy to my family.
- Confident. Just confident. We wanted this, we prayed for this, we can do this. It's gonna be a lot of work both before & after this baby arrives, but when he or she finally debuts next spring, we will be ready.

I already am.

Hurry up, Baby. We're waiting for you.

Outnumbered.

We've got some pretty exciting news around here.

 

That's right, friends. Baby Reeder #3 is on the way! And we are ecstatic :)

 

If you ask the kids what their "big news" is, they'll tell you, "There's a baby coming out of Mommy's belly!" Not right now, obviously. So if you ask them when, they'll tell you "After Easter!" Our tiny little addition is actually due on Easter, April 20th. But let's be honest: Reeder kids don't come on time. So it's more likely that we'll see this kiddo towards the end of the month.

 

We heard a strong, beautiful heartbeat a couple weeks ago & felt safe to tell the kids. They are thrilled at the idea, though I'm not certain it's fully sunk in yet. They both bring up the baby in conversation every so often, so I know the concept is not completely lost on them. In fact, just last night, Joe told me "I gonna teach da baby to play football when it comes out of your belly, Mommy." (Yes, these statements make my heart explode.) And Brooke thinks of the baby in terms of timing, when he or she is coming & what events we have until then. Knowing the timing would be a focus of hers, I made her a calendar to keep in her room of the months leading up to the baby. It has all the major holidays and birthdays between now and then, with a Baby Week designated for the week after Easter. She refers to it frequently! (We're gonna get a lesson in days of the weeks & months of the year out of this, too. Bonus!)

 

Baby #3 is already growing at Reeder pace, i.e. rapid. My belly at 14 weeks is equivalent to that of someone much further along. But the OB is pleased with our progression, so I'm confident that I've got a healthy little one swimming around in there :) I've been blogging about this baby since the day I found out, so I can't wait to share those posts with you in the coming weeks!

 

 

And in case you hadn't noticed, with a 3rd little one comes a need for a blog refresh! We're no longer traveling "the Road to Baby Reeder". Babies #1 & 2 are here and #3 will be here before we know it. So it's time to start chronically our life as a party of 5! I'm hopeful that the refresh will also give me the drive to update more frequently, since I'll now have a pretty place to come tell our stories.

 

Big adventures coming soon!