The Belly - Weeks 13-16 - Early Second Trimester

The second trimester has started off a little better. Still having some aches and pains as my body gets used to the Stowaway... but the nausea is gone now. (Yay!)

May 25, 2013 - Week 13

My mood swings are: nonexistent - pregnancy has made me a Budda (in size and spirit!)
This may seem like a funny statement to many, but I really do stay pretty calm and cool when I'm pregnant. The only time I get a little antsy is when our toddler is being a bit of a rebel.

The stowaway is almost big enough to feel! I have felt movement a few times already, but can't wait until the movements are more consistent and predictable. It's always tough during the early stages of pregnancy, you want so desperately to know things are going well and the stowaway is okay, but you only get little glimpses here and there during appointments.

June 01, 2013 - Week 14

My weight gain has been slow and steady. I hope I'm able to keep it this way and refrain from gaining too much weight this time around. This time, it's been all about portion control, limiting carb intake, and moving. You've got to move it, move it... after all!

A healthy me means a healthy baby! I'm definitely giving it my undivided attention.

June 08, 2013 - Week 15

Now that the hormones have really kicked in, my hair is .... lustrous and full.

I'm showing more, so I'm having to wear some maternity shirts with my pants now. I am able to wear most of my pre-pregnancy shirts, though. So not many maternity shirts have come out.

I'm really starting to contemplate taking my stuff out and making sure it's ready for the time when my pre-pregnancy clothes will no longer fit.

June 15, 2013 - Week 16

This little Stowaway is a mover and a shaker! I sense another high-energy little one in our future! (Lord help us!) I can't believe we're already almost halfway to the due date! Where the heck has time gone this time???

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During our last appointment (May 20), I opted to wait until the anatomy ultrasound for our next appointment, unless something drastic happened. Of course, at the time, this sounded like a great idea. Now... I am a bundle of nerves. We have about 3 weeks left until that appointment. I can't wait!

Thankfully, I can feel the Stowaway move around a LOT more now, so my nerves are starting to subside.

A Few Clothes-ing Remarks

Maternity clothing is spendy. I am always amazed at the audacity of companies to charge such high prices for clothing you only get to wear for a few months. Some are lucky and get to use their clothing more than once, but I really feel for those who cannot... because these things aren't cheap, ladies and gentlemen!.

When I wore my first maternity outfit:
I started wearing the casual shirts at 10 weeks. The pants came at about 12.5 weeks... and the jeans, sometime in between. The styles of clothing today allowed me to wear my work pants and shirts a little bit longer... I believe I finally completely transitioned to professional clothing around 15 weeks.

My favorite maternity outfit is:
My yoga pant leggings.... and the cute shirts I have to wear with them. They are so comfy... almost like pregnancy Heaven. :)

I borrowed maternity clothing from:
No one. My friends and I are all different sizes, and none of them are pregnant right now.

Record number of days in a row I wore the same heinous pair of stretch pants:
I usually only wear them 2-3 days, depending on how hot it is out. And I only do this at home. When going to work, I wear something different every day.

Au Revoir, Jeans...au revoir, any semblance of a waist

Although I am still able to wear most of my pre-pregnancy wardrobe, there are times when I know this is going to have to change a lot sooner than it did with my first pregnancy. I can't believe how much earlier I started to show this time! Strange how the body can retain such information.

When I more or less popped:
At about the 8 week point, I started to show a little bit. This is a LOT earlier than I showed with my first pregnancy. While I was happy to be starting to show earlier, I was also kind of sad to have to pull out maternity clothing so early.

If and when my belly button popped:
I know that many women have this happen... but it has yet to happen to me. It never did so my first pregnancy, so I don't anticipate it happening on this one.

I'm starting to feel like: 
A fertility goddess. This answer makes me giggle... mostly because the other option is Budda, and I'm far from that stage. But it is something pretty special to know you're pregnant when you're just starting to show.

More thoughts on getting big:
I am glad I'm showing earlier this time. Last time, I wondered if I'd ever get to use my maternity clothes. This time, it looks like I will get to use them a lot earlier, which is great. Those clothes are really spendy!

My exercise regime:
I try to get on the treadmill and/or walk outside at least 30 minutes 3-4 times each week. There are weeks when it's near impossible to make this happen, but I'm able to get it in for the most part.

May 20, 2013 - First OB Appointment

This is a day I will never forget because we heard your heartbeat for the first time. Hearing your heart beating, which sounded like a miracle taking place, and thinking of how much fun you will have with your big brother was just indescribable.

We watched you as you move around. You're a pretty active little angel... just like your big brother was. You'll need to be energetic to keep up with your brother.

We can't wait to find out if you're a boy or a girl. Only about five more weeks! We're hoping you're a little girl, but we'll be happy either way. Who wouldn't be overjoyed with a miracle???

The Belly - Weeks 9-12 - Late First Trimester

We're almost to the end of the first trimester. It's amazing how fast this time goes by. Even with the long waits for appointments... it flies.

April 27, 2013 - Week 9

We see Dr. J again in May.

Early pregnancy is always difficult. No weight gain, can't feel you moving yet... so I look forward to the OB appointments when we can see/hear you. That is the best way to know you're okay.

May 2, 2013 - The Belly Week 9 and 5 days

Weight gained: 5lb
Estimated Size of You: .14oz, 1.2" - about the size of a cherry

We just met with a nurse to review paperwork today and get everything transferred over to OB. I also had yet another blood test ordered - thank goodness this is the last one for a while!

May 4, 2013 - Week 10

I might have to start digging out my maternity clothes soon. At least the bottoms! My normal pants are getting a bit snug feeling, even though I don't really see any numbers going up on the scale.

The low weight gain is good. I'm trying hard to keep it lower this time... and my efforts are paying off! Clothes getting snug means you're growing - and your living quarters are expanding to accommodate your growth.

May 11, 2013 - Week 11

Snapshot of Our Life:

Music that we have been listening to lately: 80s - always 80s...along with some nursery rhymes and Disney music thrown in there - your brother loves Disney and nursery rhymes.

Recent movie I've seen:  Ice Age 3, Toy Story 1-3 (We've been watching lots of the Disney Jr channel lately).

Books I'm reading:  Kingdom Keepers I by Ridley Pearson

Top news story: Israel and Syria conflict - they just can't seem to get along over there. The right to marry debate - whether alternative lifestyles have the right to marriage. Gun control - is the general public responsible enough to own guns?

May 18, 2013 - Week 12

The end of the first trimester has arrived. Holy smokes!

I can't wait until my appointment to see Dr. J again... I get to see you again. It's a couple more days away... *sigh*.

Now, I can tell everyone else... not quite so fast! I'm still enjoying the secret. But almost!

The Belly - Weeks 5-8 - Mid First Trimester

We're in the middle of the first trimester. Honestly, other than the positive blood test proof, you'd really never know I was pregnant. Some differences to note... I am always cold, my back is sore an awful lot, and I get headaches and mild nausea. Can't wait for those to go away.

March 30, 2013 - Week 5

We just found out we're pregnant again - yay! So very excited to have another sweet bundle of joy on the way!! You'd think I would be a little less anxious... but I'm not. I'm every bit as anxious as I was the last time!

April 06, 2013 - Week 6

Although the blood work says positive, it's still really surreal until we see that tiny flicker of a heartbeat. That's still about 2 weeks away! Come on time, speed it up already! I want to see the sweet little bundle's heart flicker already!

Truly, one of the most amazing things in the world is when you're laying on that table, and you see the tiny flicker of a heart beat. The baby is so tiny, they are like the size of a bean... but you can still see a twinkle. It's nothing short of a miracle.

April 13, 2013 - Week 7

Strange craving alert... I want red meat. Like all the time. Normally, I can go weeks without it... lately I wonder if I'm carrying a tiny vampire.

I have some minor aches and pains here and there. I don't remember them from my last pregnancy. They are nothing major at all... and are usually pretty fleeting. I'm also cold. All.the.freaking.time. WTH!!??

April 19, 2013 - The Belly Week 7 and 6 days

Weight Gained: 2lb
Estimated Size of You: 0.04oz, .63" - about the size of a raspberry (wow, that's pretty tiny!)

At the 8-week point, the last invasive ultrasound is upon us. This one shows us the number of tiny miracles who are making a home inside the uterus. We also get to see the tiny twinkling heartbeat. So amazing - to see the miracle of life right there.

The big reveal - one tiny little sweetheart - WHEW! Seriously, you don't know how many times I dreamed of multiples (not just 2... that wouldn't have been a big deal... but more than three) during the wait. One tiny flickering heart made me a very happy mama-to-be for the remix.

You would think seeing a heartbeat flicker on the screen would be less impressive and fascinating the second time around... but not so much. I was so excited and overjoyed!

We were released, at this point, into the care of general OB. A healthy heartbeat, a strong heart rate, and ultrasound images in hand. Our journey is going very well.

April 20, 2013 - Week 8

I really love the early stages of pregnancy! I can still keep it to myself, because I'm able to wear most of my pre-pregnancy clothing. We have told a few people. We got to see you on the ultrasound yesterday...still such a magical moment.

Ultrasound technology never fails to amaze me. I love to watch baby move around on the monitor. It's so amazing.

Can Someone Please Hold Back My Hair....

....Seriously, who are we kidding. Other than mild nausea, I experienced no ill feelings. Thankfully, the second time around was much like the first, I never had the sudden urge to run to the bathroom clutching my mouth.

All of the fun and gory details about morning (noon) (night) (all-day) sickness:

I only experienced very mild nausea... easily kept at bay by eating small meals throughout the day. This time, it seems the symptoms lasted longer. However, it was nothing to write home about.

Times of day when I feel the worst:

It kind of struck at will. It became like a "gotcha" game my body was playing with me. Thankfully, I can usually tell if it's just my body playing tricks on me, or if I need to seek a nearby ladies room. Most of the time, the feeling was pretty fleeting.

My stomach churns at the mere scent of:

I don't really get sick feeling from smelling anything. I know that's hard to believe, but I don't. For me, it's more flavors. For instance, for the entire first trimester, I couldn't drink coffee. To some, this might not have been a huge deal... I was used to at least a small cup a day. The flavor was always bitter. Didn't really matter the flavor, it was horribly bitter. 

Foods that generally calm my belly:

Crackers, fruit, granola bars, milk, yogurt. 

Cravings and Aversions - The First Trimester:

Cravings: Red meat, lots of red meat. Hamburgers, chocolate.

Aversions: Coffee

My philosophy when it comes to cravings: 

Give the belly what it wants. It's not like I cave to cravings often... and I'm really not gaining tons of weight - as long as I can keep on a healthy track, there should be no harm in indulging.

The weirdest food craving I've had so far:

I don't really have odd cravings. I just get cravings for things I don't normally have a taste for... like red meat, for instance.