18 Weeks with Baby #2

I can't believe I'm 18 weeks already!  This pregnancy is going by pretty quickly.  The nausea is finally gone and my energy is mostly back (although I still welcome a nap whenever possible).

I've been tracking different milestones with this pregnancy, but haven't yet put them into a blog post (which will ultimately become part of the baby's future baby book), so here goes...

• My symptoms have been pretty spot on from what they were when I was pregnant with Graecyn.  I was pretty moody in the first trimester (Eric says he knew I was pregnant well before I took the test and told him I was...sorry babe!).  Also I was pretty exhausted (I'm sure it was made worse by chasing a toddler around).  I was nauseous most days (especially if I didn't eat something every few hours), but never got sick.
• 4 weeks - I took a home pregnancy test and saw the double lines!  Eric was still in bed and when I told him I had something to show him, his response was "I already know".  Apparently, I had been VERY moody for a few weeks prior to this...he knew I was pregnant before I did!  Due date was predicted to be June 22 based on the calendar.
• 6 weeks - I had my first ultrasound (likely because we conceived on fertility drugs and they needed to rule out multiples (they still say there's only 1) or an ectopic pregnancy).  They predicted me to be at 5 weeks 5 days instead of 6 weeks 2 days (only the yolk sac was visible)
• 7 weeks - 2nd ultrasound (since the first one was too early).  Predicting to be at 6 weeks 1 day instead of 7 weeks 1 day (this was the same as with Graecyn).  Heartbeat was 120 and due date calculated at June 24.  Cravings - salty foods, especially peanuts, popcorn, and chips.
• 9 weeks - We shared our exciting news with Eric's family during our Thanksgiving trip to NC
• 12 weeks - First OB appointment; heart beat was 150 and my weight gain was 2 lbs.  My cravings were asiago cheese bagels with cream cheese from Einstein Brothers Bagels (yum!!).  My nausea and exhaustion are getting better, but I'm having a lot of bad headaches.
• 13 weeks - Christmas - we finally get to share the news with my family.  It was important to me to be able to tell family in person, but was so hard to keep it a secret for so long!
• 14 weeks - starting to show slightly (probably from so much yummy food at Christmas!) and I'm starting to feel very light kicks (popcorn popping).
• 16 weeks - heart beat 153 and weight gain 6 pounds; kicks are becoming more frequent.

How far along: 18 weeks
Weight gain: 6 lbs +
Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I am starting to use a hairband and belly band to keep my normal pants buttoned and this morning I decided to break out my post-pregnancy "fat" pants to have a little extra room.
Exercise: I've been able to exercise throughout the entire pregnancy so far.  I started running a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant and decided I didn't want to stop.  I've reduced the intensity and speed and am now starting to incorporate more speed walking at an incline (mainly because the second I start to run, I feel an intense need to pee...very annoying!).  I'm averaging 2.5 miles, 3 days a week.  I also try to do yoga at least 1 day a week and am hoping to starting doing even more.
Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty well and rarely needing to get up in the night to use the bathroom.
Best moment: I've been feeling light movements for a few weeks now, but within the last day or so have really been feeling kicks.  They feel lower than I remember with Graecyn.
Worst moment: Having to use the bathroom constantly during the day.  Most mornings, I use the bathroom 4-5 times before I even get to work!
Miss anything: Nothing yet
Symptoms: frequent need to pee during the day
Cravings: Still craving salty foods, but the cravings are not as strong as in the first trimester.

We find out the gender on Monday and I can't wait!  Both Eric and I think it's another girl (I had a very vivid dream a few nights ago that it's a girl).  We haven't shared the news with Graecyn yet...we decided to wait until we know the gender so that we can give her the whole picture.  I can't wait to finally tell her and I think (and hope) she'll be excited to be a big sister.  I am already starting to stress about how I'm going to be able to balance giving her attention along with a new baby.

There are so many old wives tales about gender and while I don't believe any of them, I thought it would be fun to see what they're predicting the gender to be.

Carrying high or low? Low = boy
Heartbeats per minute: 140+ = girl
Cravings: salty = boy
Chinese birth chart lunar age: boy
Ring swing: ring swings back and forth = boy
Morning sickness: not much = boy

I can't wait to find out how right (or wrong) these old wives tales are!

Graecyn's Big Day

Saturday was a big day for you.  Your first dentist appointment....Your first "big girl" gymnastics class....And, Goodbye crib, hello "big girl" bed.

Dentist
We talked about going to the dentist for several weeks leading up to it.  I was a little nervous about if you would sit in the chair by yourself and if you would let the hygienist and dentist look in your mouth.  You took your Elsa doll with you (we don't usually let you take your dolls into stores and other places, but I figured this was a time when you might need the extra security and support) and held Daddy's hand the entire time.  You opened your mouth (like a lion) every time the hygienist or dentist asked.  You let them take pictures of your teeth, polish them with bubble gum polish, and paint fluoride on them.  Mama and Daddy were so proud of you.  At the end of the visit, you got a special goodie bag with a new purple toothbrush, big girl toothpaste and got to pick a prize out of the treasure box.

Gymnastics

You've been so excited to be in the big girl gymnastics class...especially once you learned your best friend, Callie, was going to be in it too.  You did so well listening to your coach and paying attention. You had so much fun!

Big Girl Bed
We had trial runs of you sleeping in a big girl bed at Thanksgiving when we visited Nana and Granddaddy in North Carolina and at Christmas when we visited Grandma and Papa in Iowa.  You did well both times, but you were in a toddler bed in the same room as us.  You've loved sleeping in your crib and we never had an issue with you trying to climb out, so we weren't in a big rush to move you into a big girl bed.  Lately you had started talking more and more about having a big girl bed, especially since you learned that Callie already has a big girl bed.  With a new baby on the way, we decided we should probably go ahead and move you out of the crib and get you comfortable in the big girl bed.  Fortunately, we had a twin sized day bed in a spare bedroom, so we decided to make that your new bed.  You helped me pick out the sheets and comforter for it (you wanted pink!).  You took one last nap in your crib on Saturday (I had to be sure to capture your last crib time, which you were not thrilled about having a camera in your face when you woke up) and then Daddy made the switch before supper that night.  You were so excited to see the big girl bed in your room! We went through all of the rules with you (no jumping on your bed and no getting out of bed (if you need something, you yell for mama or daddy).  The first night and nap today went great!  Only a few delays (needing to use the potty, being too hot, and then being too cold) and you stayed in bed all night and didn't wake up until 6:30 a.m. (your new normal wake up time).

Mama & Daddy checking on your before we went to bed.
You were sound asleep, on your back, surrounded by all your animals. 

It was such a big day for you (and Mama & Daddy).  We are so proud of the big girl you're becoming (but sad to see our baby growing up). :-)

Happy 3rd Birthday, Monkey Doodle!

I can't believe you're T-H-R-E-E!!!  The last 3 years have gone by like a blur!  Daddy and I were just commenting on how boring our lives were 3 years ago. :-)

You are becoming such a sweet, kind, funny girl.  You are very caring and hate to see someone hurt or upset.  I bumped my elbow a few weeks ago, right on the funny bone, and made a noise because it hurt.  You immediately came over, asked what was wrong and then asked me if I wanted your ring or your butterfly (your ice packs) to make it feel better.  You helped me get your butterfly ice pack out of the freezer and then rubbed it on my elbow and said, "there, all better".

Right before Christmas, we went to the Detroit Zoo Lights with your BFF, Callie and her parents.  We all rode together in our car, so you and Callie were right next to each other and chatted away the entire car ride.  Callie said her favorite colors were purple and pink and when you said those were also your favorite colors, Callie got upset.  You thought about it for a bit and then told Callie, "actually, my favorite color is blue" so that she would feel better.

You still love to wear chapstick (and still refer to it as "chap chic").  For awhile you were loving us giving you kisses because we would kiss our chapstick onto you.  If you had just put chapstick on and we gave you a kiss, you'd immediately grab our face and say "kiss it back" so that we would give you back your chapstick.  Now, you're not a fan of kisses and usually wipe them off as soon as we give them to you.

You love to be silly and make us laugh.  You'll often slam down your sippy cup after taking a big drink and say "ah, rock & roll".  You have also taken after Daddy by being able to remember quotes from movies and other things.  One of your favorite movies is "Tangled".  After fussing at you one night because you weren't getting ready for bath, you suddenly stopped what you were doing, looked right at me and said, "you want me to be the bad guy?  Fine, I'll be the bad guy." This just so happens to be an exact quote that the witch says to Rapunzel in this movie.  It was so funny, but I stayed strong and didn't laugh (not an easy task).

You listen to everything we say and love to be part of our conversation.  I like to say "what evs" to be silly and the other day, in perfect context, you said "what evs" to Daddy...it was hilarious!

You love the movie Frozen and especially love Olaf, the snowman in the movie.  We spent a lot of time this Christmas season driving around looking at Christmas lights.  Every snowman you would see you would immediately say "Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs."

You love music and start to tap your foot the second you hear music; you also love to bust out the moves when a song comes on the radio or the TV.  You have moved up in swimming lessons and now are in lessons without Mama or Daddy.  You finally love to be in the water, which makes me so happy.  You also will be moving up to the big girl gymnastics class, which you are so excited about.

You love singing (favorite songs are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Wheels on the Bus, Mr. Clown, and Itsy Bitsy Spider), doing art projects and coloring (you've gotten really good at coloring and staying close to the lines), and puzzles (you are really good at puzzles and can put them together very quickly).  You love to have your finger and toenails painted and love to paint my nails.

You know the alphabet and love to sing it (but always forget T, U, V in the song) and you can write the letter H.

We went to the doctor a few weeks ago and you weighed in at 29 lbs and were 39" long.

You're still sleeping in your crib, but we will likely be transitioning you to a big girl bed soon.  You're definitely ready, it's Mama and Daddy that aren't quite ready for you to have the additional freedom!

You're in daycare 5 days a week now and have lots of friends there.  Your best friend is Evan.

You have become quite the talker and your shyness is slowly going away.  You will often talk up the cashiers whenever we go to the store.

For your birthday party, you asked for a Frozen theme and you loved opening the presents.  You got a little bashful when everyone sang you happy birthday.

You were a little too excited for your party to pause for a picture.

Being bashful during the "happy birthday" song.

Checking out the party favors.

Cupcakes with Callie

On your actual birthday, you woke up earlier than normal, so I fixed you a quick sparkle pancake (pancake with sprinkles in it) and let you blow out the candle.

So excited to get a toy cash register.

Learning about your new camera

Say Cheese!

Happy, happy birthday, Monkey Doodle!  Thanks for making our lives so much more interesting!  I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us!

Goodbye 2014...Hello 2015!

2014 was a great year and we have so many great memories.  You became a big girl with no more diapers.  You learned how to ride a tricycle, learned the alphabet and how to write the letter H, and have mastered doing puzzles (you can do a 15 piece puzzle in about 30 seconds).  You also got over your fear of swimming pools and have mastered doing a somersault.

And while 2014 was great, 2015 is going to be even better.  Because in 2015, you get to be a big sister!!!

Christmas in Michigan

We were in Iowa for Christmas and didn't get back home until a few days after Christmas.  We talked a lot about how Santa wouldn't visit you while we were in Iowa and instead would wait until we got back home to come.  We got home pretty late from the airport, so you went straight to bed; Daddy and I made sure to set out some milk and cookies for Santa.

You were excited to see that Santa had come while you were sleeping, but I think you were most excited to see that Santa had left some cookie crumbs on the plate we set out for him.

Santa brought you a new scooter, which you immediately hopped on and started to ride like an expert.  He also brought you some roller skates, Cat in the Hat book, slippers, puzzles, a new electric Hello Kitty toothbrush, fuzzy socks, an Olaf Tervis tumbler, lots of stickers, and some candy.

You got to go through all of your Santa gifts and try them out for a bit, then we took a break for breakfast before digging into all of the presents under the tree.

 It was a great Christmas!!

Christmas in Iowa

We spent the week of Christmas, including Christmas day, in Iowa and had a great time like always.

You were a great traveler - insisting that you walk and pull your suitcase.  You did great with it!  It's never easy getting from Michigan to Iowa (flight plus long car ride), but you did awesome.  Lots of games and movies on the iPad!

It snowed early on in our visit, so we made sure to get outside and play.  You, Addison, and Colton thought it would be fun to ride your bikes from the machine shed to the house...not so easy to do in heavy, wet snow.  Daddy got a workout pushing you all.

We went on several "tractor" rides on Papa's Ranger.  You loved to go fast (even though it was freezing cold outside).  We did lots of exploring around the farm finding Great Great Grandpa's old truck, checking out the inside of the giant Cotton Wood tree on Uncle Will's land, and sitting in Papa's combine tire.

Christmas Eve we all headed to Uncle Travis and Aunt Juli's church.  You did really well to sit through the service and were such a big girl to go with Addison to the front of the church for the children's time.  After church, we headed to Uncle Travis and Aunt Juli's for a delicious dinner.  We even had a mini-birthday party for you.

Christmas day we finally saw the sun.  We had a great time with family with lots of food and laughter.  We even did our traditional family walk to the corner in the afternoon.  We have done this as long as I can remember and it has always been so much fun.  Everyone has to write down how long they think it will take them to walk from the house to the highway and back (roughly 1/2 mile round trip).  All watches and phones are left inside the house.  Everyone starts at the same time (a stopwatch is left on the driveway) and we all hit the road walking, running, tossing a football, etc.  I'm sure we look crazy to the people driving by, but it's always great to get out of the house, get some fresh air, and work off some of the food we've stuffed ourselves with.  As soon as your foot touches the driveway again, your time is recorded.  The 3 people who come closest to the time they wrote down gets a cash prize ($1 per person...I think this year it was $6 for 1st place, $4 for 2nd, and $2 for 3rd...in the past we've also had lottery tickets as the prizes).
 

It was a great Christmas and we were so glad to be able to spend it with family.