Week 18: Bump Update

Week 18

February 17, 2014

size of baby: bell pepper, 5-5.8 inches

total weight gain/loss: negative 8- this was on our scale at home so I'm not sure how accurate. However, the start weight on my scale and at doc was the same so...I dunno. Don't go back to doc till March 6th.

maternity clothes: Mostly still in just pants. I like to wear maternity tops now because they show off the bump instead of awkwardly trying to fit into regular shirts but it really depends on the cut. My favorite jeans are Motherhood Maternity but my new skinny jeans are Old Navy. They aren't my FAVORITE but they will do. 

gender: Still thinking its a boy but allowing a little bit of girl in there too. I really just have no clue!

movement: JUSTIN FELT IT MOVE! It has been moving like crazy so I thought surely Justin can feel that so I made him sit with his hand on my stomach and wait. It was going nuts and sure enough BOOM! He felt it. I loved the look on his face the first time he felt it move. Pure Joy. A smile so genuine you could the happiness came from a deep place inside him! Only a mother  & fathers joy feeling your baby kick!

sleep: awww sleep. glorious. passed out with Ascher at 8 a few nights and slept till morning. I was really tired this week but slept like a rock. I really wish I would wake up ONE morning without a headache though.

cravings: ice cream, breakfast foods (mostly eggs or breads), sweets, Schlotzskys, meat still grosses me out but I've been able to stomach some this week

what I miss: mostly my energy

symptoms: PRAISE THE LORD! No vomit this week!! WOOHOO! However, headache every single day. I wake up with a headache and every time I move it feels like my brain is hitting either side of my head. Its the pits. I'm trying to limit my medicine so today I finally took a Tylenol and drank a coke. It worked so I'm hoping if I wake up with another one tomorrow I'll try same routine. Other than that my only other symptom has been tired. I keep waiting for second trimester burst of energy. Haven't had one yet. Maybe once we know the gender I'll get busy! ; )

thoughts: 

• Our long time friend from California visited this week so I drove to Kingwood so I could see her and hang out. It was a last minute trip for a few days and worked perfect. It was beautiful weather and we got to catch up and hang out!
• This weekend we went to one of our best friends, Jacksons 5th birthday party. It was at a gymnastics place. At first Ascher was scared but then he warmed up and LOVED the trampoline. 

Big Brother (Ascher) news: Took him to doctor this week on Tuesday and she said it looks like a virus and gave me some medicine to treat his symptoms. I really liked the doctor and hope I will continue to like her in the upcoming months as she will end up being baby doctor as well. He is currently obssesed with his monster trucks & the talking cat app on IPad (he has named his cat, Mouse). Also it has been beautiful outside so we spent a lot of this week playing outside, getting the mail, playing in dirt, etc. 

Weekly Photo:

Week 17: Bump Update

Week 17

February 10, 2014

size of baby: onion, 4.5-5 inches

total weight gain/loss: negative 5 (havent weighed this week though)

maternity clothes: Bought new pants finally!! (And I got them 40% off so I guess my procrastination paid off) I got a skinny pair of jeans and have lived in them! I am starting to look like I have a popped a little & have a bump- not just fat. 

gender: Our shy baby isn't ready for us to know. Hopefully we will know on March 6th. I am going back & forth on what I think it is. I am still about 85% boy, but a little piece of girl is starting to sneak in my thoughts.

movement: much much stronger and more frequent. Not quite a ninja yet but I know he/she is getting stronger every day

sleep: I could sleep great this week. However, Ascher has virus/cold/getting two canine teeth and has been up a number of nights through out the night. Womp womp.

cravings: eggs, sweets (spoonful of frosting, apple pie, ice cream, sour gummy worms)

what I miss: being comfortable, still missing energy but it is getting better

symptoms: vomit. First time ever I didnt make it to toliet or sink. : ( I hadnt felt fabulous for a few days but thought I was just blah- not vomit sick. Well I coughed and wham! It all came back up. Poor Justin, cleaned it all up off the floor and my trail to the sink. I cried. I want to not throw up anymore!! Also this week I have been extremely tired and have woke up every morning with a headache.

thoughts: 

• We got our furniture for upstairs!! WOOT WOOT! Actually looks like a room up there instead of a big empty space.
• I had my first week of Bible Study this week and I really think I am going to enjoy it. I am jumping in about 4 weeks late but I can play catch up. We are studying James.
• We also are finally having some pretty weather so we have spent more time outside. I think that helps me feel better as well as Ascher.

Big Brother (Ascher) news: little man has been sick this week. stuffy, teething, virus. yucky stuff. He loves Pip and wants Pip to chase him or sit with him at all times. He also "holds the baby" and by that I mean he pulls on my tummy like he is picking it up and holding it. Then he will kiss it and hug it. Sweetest thing ever. I think he is gonna be a fabulous big brother!

Weekly Photo:

Week 16: Bump Update

Week 16

February 3, 2014

size of baby: avocado, 4.3-4.7 inches, 78 grams

total weight gain/loss: negative 5

maternity clothes: still just pants

gender: Our shy baby isn't ready for us to know. Hopefully we will know on March 6th

movement: little butterflies, stronger and more often- Justin and I watched Hunger Games the other night and I made him sit with his hand on my tummy the whole time in hopes that baby would move and he could feel it. Not yet but its coming. : ) 

sleep: pretty good, first week I didn't nap all week, pass out at night

cravings: hamburger- but it grossed me out once I got it and I couldn't eat it

what I miss: energy, Route 44 Coca-Cola

symptoms: uncomfortable but pretty good this week. No vomit so any week with no vomit is a good week in my book. 

thoughts: 

• We had a busy week. Kim came and stayed with us on Tuesday & Wednesday and we took the boys to Rainforest Cafe to eat. 
• My nephew was born on Thursday late night- Korbin Ford! We went and met him on Friday when Justin got off. And because of this special delivery within the family, Cambrey flew down on Friday night to meet the little guy. We spent Saturday at the hospital, Kasons house, back to hospital and then we all went to eat. It is a rare occasion that all Justin's family is together so it was fun for all the siblings to see each other and for such a fun occasion! A new baby to love! And to think, Korbin and this baby will only be 5 months apart! Close cousins! LOVE IT! 
• On Sunday, we took Cambrey back to the airport and then went to pick up Pip from my parents. My parents have been EXCELLENT for keeping Pip for so long but it was time for him to come home. Our backyard landscapers still haven't fixed the yard (drainage issues, holds water, muddy) but I could only not have my puppy dog for so long. I am his person, ya know!? ; ) 

Big Brother (Ascher) news: ADORES playing with his cousins. He did EXCELLENT at the hospital all weekend. He got restless but overall he was a great toddler! He stayed up late, got up early, took all his naps in his carseat between stops and was still a trooper! Gotta love him!

Weekly Photo:

Week 15: Bump Update

Week 15

January 27, 2014

size of baby: apple, 4 inches, 1.75 ounces

total weight gain/loss: negative 5

maternity clothes: yup- I need pants BAD! I only had work clothes with Ascher. I had two pairs of jeans and one of them is ripped real bad so I am down to only one pair of jeans. So if I get dressed out of sweatpants, I wear the same jeans EVERY day. Must go shopping- I haven't felt like trying on jeans.

gender: no news to share- hiding the goods

movement: little butterfly wings ;)

sleep: ok I suppose- still have nasal congestion which ate my lunch one night- up ALL night because I couldn't breathe AT ALL. I needed to lay on my back and let it drain but I can't breathe when I lay on my back so it was a lose- lose. 

cravings: fruit (especially berries & pineapple)

what I miss: living close to my doctor (FYI- even though we moved I am staying with my doctor. I ADORE their office so switching doctors wasn't an option- especially getting pregnant so quick after miscarriage and moving- he knows my history and I ADORE ADORE them) However, this week I was annoyed driving to the office. I also miss my energy (I'm ready to start decorating my house- still just have no energy to do so)

symptoms: food aversion, nausea tired but more energy than before, only vomited 1 time all week (PROGRESS!), sinus infection- took z-pack.

thoughts: minor thought: we finally decided on furniture for upstairs game room! Big news: I had my 15 week doctor apt this week. With Ascher, at 15 weeks it was OBVIOUS he was a boy so I was so excited that I was going to get an ultrasound. I didnt even think that the baby might not show off. I just thought I'm getting an ultrasound: We will know today. However, this baby is SHY! It was crossed legged holding its legs. We saw NOTTA! I moved around on the table, got up danced, had both kinds of ultrasounds, doc worked on me for a good 15 minutes trying to get the baby to show us something...anything. Just the area in general. NOPE. Not showing anything. So now my 4 week apt from 15 weeks, Justin will be out of town so I now have to wait 5 weeks so that Justin will be with me for the BIG ultrasound. 

Big Brother (Ascher) news: mom fail: didn't write anything down

Weekly Photo:

Week 14: Bump Update

Week 14

January 20, 2014

size of baby: nectarine, 3.5-4 inches

total weight gain/loss: negative 5- whoop! I've gained a pound back!

maternity clothes: still mostly pants. still mostly freezing. still mostly sweatpants.

gender: dunno yet 

movement: not regularly but I definitely feel it- so different from the end of pregnancy when they are like trying to break free- these movements are sweet flutters

sleep: getting better, once I'm comfortable I can sleep like a log. I'm already using my snoogle. However, I am pissed if I wake up in the middle of night because it takes me forever to go back to sleep.

cravings: fruit, fresh food (not fast food), lemonade (per usual), still no ground beef

what I miss: feeling good and like myself.

symptoms: vomit, tired, every few days I'll have a really BAD day. Then I'll have a few semi-decent days (and by that I mean like only throw up once)

thoughts: Finally got my hair done! I basically had two first trimesters back to back (the month I wasn't pregnant we were moving/just moved) so my highlights had grown out major. I know, first world problems but Oh I feel so much better now that my hair is all one color again!! 

Justin was out of town this week so I went to Kingwood (help with Ascher, good home cooked meals).The end of this week was Vanessa (my cousins) baby shower in Louisiana- Mom and I drove Saturday morning and came back Sunday afternoon)

Big Brother (Ascher) news: loves playing with GoGo. Mom is great with him and spoils him rotten. He gets pancakes and eggs every morning and plays/teaches him all kinds of thing so a week at GoGo's was heaven for him!

Weekly Photo:

Week 13: Bump Update

Week 13

January 13 (My 27 Birthday)

size of baby: tangerine, 2.5-3 inches

total weight gain/loss: negative 6

maternity clothes: just maternity pants 99% of time- will wear some maternity shirts for fun if I feel like I look pregnant, not just fat- it is has been super cold though so I stick to indoors (i.e. sweatpants)

gender: God has the answer to this one. however, I'm still thinking boy. I already call the bathroom between Aschers room and the nursery the "boys bathroom" 

movement: occasionally at night or when I drink a lot of cold water

sleep: ehhhh...hit or miss. I'm super nasally and uncomfortable in general so I don't know if its baby or head thats causing sleep problems. Probably both.

cravings: nothing really this week- everything makes me vomit

what I miss: eating whatever I wanted and not worrying about if it was going to come back up

symptoms: fatigue, nasal congestion, food aversion, headaches, itching, dizzy and my best friend, VOMIT is back. UGH! 

thoughts: I turned 13 weeks on the 13. My birthday! It was fun! Mom was here and we hung out around the house and when Justin got home we went and looked at some more furniture places for game room. However, I ended my birthday with major throwing up. UGH! 

Big Brother (Ascher) news: We walked to the park down the street this week for the first time. I was hoping that getting out of house would help me feel a little better. We ran around and swung. Justin stopped by on his way home from work. It was a fun little family outing we had.

Weekly Photo:

Week 12: Bump Update

So I realize I am way behind considering tomorrow I'll be 18 weeks. I kept a written journal next to my bed and now am just transferring it over to the blog.

Week 12

January 6, 2014

size of baby: lime, 2.5-2.8 inches

total weight gain/loss: negative 6- thanks to vomiting everything

maternity clothes: I am totally showing more than I was with Ascher. Mostly I am just wearing pants. I can get away with maternity shirts too but stick with normal shirts for now. However, normal pants are super uncomfortable. Granted, I spent most days in sweatpants or pjs pants. 

gender: We don't know yet. I think boy. Justin doesn't have opinion yet. 

movement: sometimes I feel flutters at night. I asked the doctor was it possible for me to already feel flutters and he said the location of my placenta (the back), the fact that this is my second kid and the fact I am a tiny person he said it is absolutely possible so I chalk those butterflies I feel when I lay down at night to the little human inside.

sleep: can't breathe at all when sleep, already have to lay on side. On Saturday my nails turned purple and I was up all night. I called doctor on Sunday morning and he said if it happens again go to ER- thankfully it was a one time thing but still terrifying not being able to breathe. I kept thinking if I can't breathe, is the baby getting oxygen? 

cravings: popsicles, lemonade

what I miss: being able to breathe easily/take a deep breath and not getting winded so easily

symptoms: uncomfortable (I used to laugh when women would complain that they were already uncomfortable so early on but I take it back- I am so uncomfortable!), tired, nasal congestion, no vomit all week!!! (PTL) however, still nausea and food aversions (NO ground beef-YUCK!)

thoughts: Justin and I had a date night for my birthday at the Cheesecake Factory. I was in heaven!! We went furniture shopping for game room then to dinner. It was a great night with my man and really the first time I've felt like doing anything. 

Big Brother (Ascher) news: mom fail: didn't write anything down

Weekly Photo:

Weeks 4-11- Bump Update

These are more just my little notes I took during week 4-11 rather than a whole synopsis.

Week 4-6

• found out
• doctor appointments 
• happy but terrified I would lose this one too
• felt great other than being tired and headaches
• took nap every day with Ascher 
• back pain, mood swings
• blood tests- results were HCG was 486, Progesterone 19 (at 4 week 3 days)
• 4 weeks 3 days- told family (I couldnt hold it in)
• food aversion, morning sickness and nausea begins at 6 weeks  no vomit just yet but feel like major crap
• Thanksgiving was during this time

Week 7-11

• 7 weeks
• feel like crap, tired, nausea, boobs hurt, headaches, BP increase, dizzy
• vomit begins (7 weeks 4 days)
• 8 weeks
• sick, vomit, back pain
• 9 weeks
• tired, sick, vomit, craps
• 10 weeks
• vomit, tired, food aversions, cramps, nasal congestion
• Christmas week- threw up in many gas stations along our trips over holidays
• 11 weeks
• doc appt, down 6 lbs from starting weight
• bad week- lots of vomit- every day- every symptom you can think of

How We Found Out

October 12, 2013 is a day I will never forget. It is the day I lost our baby. The Lord really didn’t give me much time to sit around and grieve because I was so busy with packing and moving. When November 10 came and I hadn’t had a period I starting worrying. (which is crazy- it had only been 4 weeks and sometimes it can take up to 8 to get a period after a miscarriage). Now don’t get me wrong- we were NOT…I repeat NOT trying to get pregnant. I was terrified of getting pregnant. I had decided that we would get settled into new house, get involved, make friends then try again. Ascher was still young! So it had been 4 weeks and I wanted to start just so I would know my body was doing what it was supposed to and I didn’t have to start worrying about not having regular cycles/ovulating properly. But I wasn’t showing any signs of starting.

Sunday evening I ran to the pizza place by the apartment, ordered a pizza and walked over to Target while I waited for pizza to be ready. I picked up a pregnancy test and went back to pick up pizza. This whole time Justin thinks Im crazy and just wasted $8. I said well technically only $4, because I only needed to take one to prove I wasn’t pregnant. We ate dinner, hung out, picked up the apartment a little. My plan was to wait until morning and take it but I just couldn’t. I went and took it and when those two lines appeared I cried. I think my tears were pure fear. I took the test out to the living room of our little apartment shaking crying. Justin and I had already discussed that regardless of the outcome I would probably cry. If it was negative, I would cry because of the baby that was no longer there. If it was positive, I would cry because omg. So Justin had no clue when I came out if I was crying because positive or negative. Even though he was just like me and thought for sure it was negative. So when I showed him the test he still didn’t believe it. He thought that maybe it was leftover hormones still showing up from the last pregnancy. That’s when I had to confess that a few days earlier I had taken my last test I had from the last baby and it was negative. And now a test is showing positive. No way could it be the other baby. Of course, Justin being Justin still didn’t believe it. Neither did I really. It was all happening so fast. I was terrified. My body still hadn’t worked itself out. I still hadn’t had a period (since before getting off birth control). But I guess I made plans and God said alright Lauren…here is the REAL plan. MY plan.

So the week that followed I took two more tests. The 10th was the Sunday and the line was faint but it was there.

 The 12th I took a digital test and it said YES! (sad they don’t stay lit up YES forever) 

and then on the 14th took first response and the pregnant line was darker than the control!! 

I WAS THRILLED!! I couldn't hold it in any longer. We told our family via facetime and skype that night. (the 14^th)

The 14th I had my blood taken- my HCG levels were 486 and my progesterone was a 19. Now, if you remember back to the baby we lost. My progesterone wasn't even a 10 at 8 weeks. Now, this baby is a 19 at 4 weeks! I was ecstatic and cried. (go figure). I had to go back on Saturday and get my blood taken again to make sure it was normal rise before the doc would see me. So I went on Saturday and my nurse is so fabulous she called the hospital for me Saturday evening to check my results and HALLEJIAUH! A normal rise!!

Finally on the 19th we had our first doc appt. I was terrified. What if I got in there and there was no heartbeat or no baby at all. I go in and there it is. A little dot on the screen. Too early to see a heartbeat but there was a baby. (I was 5 weeks 2 days).

On the way home I stopped and got a smoothie. Well this place always puts up scripture/Godly quotes on their sign and this particular day was so perfect I cried when I read it. He is so so so good. 

It says-
Give thanks to the Lord for his Goodness and Greatness.
He is Worthy.

up next: 
Weeks 4-6, 
Weeks 7-11, 
Weeks 12, 13, 14, & 15. 
(I still have to catch up on November, December & January...slowly but surely)

November: Family Photos

Back in November we took some family photos at our friends barn. It is a beautiful place on gorgeous land! My plan was to use them for Christmas cads however with the moving, babies (losing and getting pregnant), etc. Christmas cards got the boot. I then was going to send out New Years/We've Moved Cards- but by January I was sick as a dog and New Years cards was out. I figured one year without cards- I'll be okay. I'm just gonna make a fake card and put it in the Christmas scrapbook I do. Anyways- we went and took some photos- Ascher is at an age where getting photos of him smiling, standing still is near impossible. Most photos looked like this..

But we did manage to get a few cute ones...

I told Justin I want to take some more before I get huge and fat again. One last time family photos as just the three of us!!