22 1/2 weeks

I can't believe it's August already!!  Where did the summer go?

We've been keeping busy around here.  Derek is working hard to get the basement done in time for our little girl's arrival, and Landen is definitely keeping us on our toes!  Never a dull moment with a 2 1/2 year old around.  He's becoming Mr. Independent and it's so fun watching him learn and discover new things!  Growing up way too fast if you ask me! :)

We spent last weekend up north in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota visiting Derek's extended family.  We don't see them very often so it was nice to catch up.  Everyone is always amazed at how much Landen has changed.  Landen enjoyed playing with Nana's kindle and teaching everyone "5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed."   He ran around singing it constantly.  So cute.  To end our trip, we spent the last day in Duluth.  It's one of my favorite places.  Canal Park was really busy as there were tours of the big ships going on all weekend.  Landen loved the pirate ship, and spent a lot of time throwing rocks into the water.

Our baby girl is doing well.  She is moving a lot these days which is very reassuring for me.  She is growing right on track and her heart rate is holding steady at 160 bpm.  I think we've decided on a name for her, which is very exciting!  Girl names seem to be much easier for us!  We are going to keep the name a secret until she is born though.  Who knows, we may need to change it once we meet her anyway :)

I have started buying a few things for her.  I can't help it!  I'm a planner, and even though her room won't be ready for a while, I like to be prepared...and shopping for girls is a lot different than shopping for boys!  I've been given a bunch of hand-me-downs too which is so nice.  I'm getting anxious to start working on her room, but we have to wait until the basement is done first!

20 weeks

I have officially made it to the halfway point! 
 
Highlight of my week so far: feeling our baby girl move more consistently!  I had felt some movements here and there for the last 5 weeks or so, but for the past couple of days she has been moving quite a bit!  Such a fun feeling!  Landen put his hand on my belly to try to feel "baby sisser" too! :)
 
This week has also brought some sadness as a couple of friends are going through loss.  I am very thankful for a healthy pregnancy this time around, but my heart is breaking as others are mourning the loss of their precious babies.  My heart is definitely heavy this week.

It's a...

We had our anatomy ultrasound today!  Derek and I both predicted that we were having another boy, but I've been known to be wrong ;)

As always, it was amazing to see every little detail of the little one's anatomy, and it's reassuring to see a healthy baby with a strong heartbeat of 164!!

 

IT'S A GIRL!!!

 

I was surprised when the ultrasound tech told us at first, but there are pictures to prove it! :)  I have always wanted to have at least one little boy and one little girl, so I'm very excited that this is a reality!

 

I haven't felt a lot of movement yet this time, other than a little kick here and there.  During my ultrasound she was just relaxing with her hand by her face.  When I had ultrasounds with Landen, he was always doing flips and moving constantly!  Hopefully this means she will be a bit calmer than he is ;)  I am looking forward to feeling more movement though, since that is one of my favorite parts of being pregnant.

 

Now to narrow down the names!!  Derek and I actually agree on several names for this little girl!

 



So blessed and excited!

17 Weeks

Today marks 17 weeks.  Counting my blessings each week!  I've been sick on and off the last few days, but other than that, things are going well. 

I feel so much bigger already this time, so I wanted to compare with a picture from my first pregnancy.

The Secret is Out!

We announced our pregnancy on Facebook on Father's Day, which means I no longer have to keep a secret!  The outpouring of support and prayers has been amazing.  This baby is already so loved, and for that I am very thankful!

Here is our announcement :)



I am now 16 weeks pregnant...where has the time gone?!  In a few short weeks we will have our big ultrasound and find out whether Landen is going to have a brother or a sister!  I can't wait!!

Baby Belly

I feel like my belly has "popped!"  I'm starting to look pregnant already -- which is really making it feel real!  It's definitely true that you start showing sooner with each pregnancy.

 

Other than the lack of energy, I've been feeling pretty good!  I hope it continues. 

 

 

14 weeks!

 

13 weeks!

Well, I have officially made it to the second trimester!  I have had 2 ultrasounds confirming that baby is measuring right on track and has a strong heartbeat -- so I'm feeling a lot more confident every day that I will have a baby in my arms in December. 

I'm starting to feel a bit better, but I still don't have any energy.  I'm looking forward to the day that I can do more with my family and not feel like I need to lay down as soon as I get home from work.  I felt 100% better by week 14 when I was pregnant with Landen, so I hope that happens this time too!

9 Weeks

I'm a little behind on updating this. I got to see our baby and hear his/her heartbeat about a week and a half ago. Hearing the heartbeat never gets old! It was a huge relief to see that baby is growing right on track and had a heartbeat of 140. I was really nervous before my appointment, but left with a huge smile on my face. My doctor is really supportive and I couldn't be luckier to have her as my primary doctor, Landen's doctor, and my OB. She didn't waste a second and did my ultrasound right away. She gave me a big hug when we saw that everything was okay. It was a great day!

I told my parents the news after my ultrasound. It felt great to finally be able to talk about it! As always, they were excited to be grandparents again. :) My mom showed Landen the ultrasound pictures (he hadn't seen them yet) and asked him what the picture was...Landen pointed to it and said "BABY!" It was pretty cute. I'm so excited for him to be a big brother.

That weekend, my sisters and I and some friends went on a girls scrapbooking weekend. I made sure to tell my sisters right away, so they wouldn't find out on their own. We generally stay up late and have drinks, so it would be pretty obvious that something was up! ;) Pregnancy and baby talk seemed to be the theme of the weekend! I didn't feel well towards the end, but it was a great weekend! I don't get to spend a lot of quality time with my sisters, so it was much needed.

I'm 9 weeks now and feeling pretty crummy, but I'll take it! As my doctor always says, it means that baby is doing well. I prefer being sick 24/7 than to have no symptoms at all and constantly wonder if everything is okay. Last week was probably the worst week I've had so far, so it was nice to get a bit of a break the last couple of days. My next appointment is in two weeks on May 16th, our anniversary! I will be able to relax a bit once and I see that everything is okay on two consecutive ultrasounds. I'm ready to enjoy this pregnancy and not worry about every little thing!

Mix of Emotions

March 20th, 2013 -- The first day of Spring.
It's also the day I found out that I'm pregnant again!

It's been 3 1/2 weeks since that day, and I'm still a mix of emotions.  I'm happy because I've been wanting another baby for a long time now, excited because I can't wait for Landen to be a big brother, nervous because I haven't had an ultrasound to confirm anything yet, and scared because my last pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.  Derek seems very relaxed so far.

Losing our baby in November was devastating to say the least.  Once I make it past the first trimester I think I'll be feeling better about everything, but until then, I have a feeling I'll be questioning every little twinge and symptom that I feel.  I never even thought of the possibility of miscarriage before, and now I can't stop thinking about it. 

From the day I took the first pregnancy test I have felt "off."  For the last couple of weeks I have been nauseated 24/7 and am completely exhausted.  Some days I can barely get off the couch.  With my last pregnancy, I only had morning sickness at night and felt pretty good during the day.  I never thought I'd be so happy to be sick.  I'm hoping the "all day sickness" is a good sign.  It's a lot different this time since I have a toddler and can't sleep whenever I want!

I go in for my first ultrasound/OB visit on Thursday.  I have a good feeling about this pregnancy, so I am anxious to get the reassurance that baby is doing well, and hopefully hear a heartbeat.  Ultrasounds used to be super exciting for me, but my last experience was not a positive one, so I'm hoping that changes this time. 

We are waiting to tell people until we are given the reassurance that everything is fine.  It was very hard having to explain the miscarriage to everyone, and I do not want to go through that again.  It will be nice when I don't have to keep a secret anymore!

Thursday can't come soon enough!