7 weeks

I had my first prenatal visit today. Turns out I was off by 1 day. I'm 7 weeks today (my weekly count will be on Thursdays, not Fridays), and I'm due September 19.

How Far Along: 7 weeks

Size of baby: a little bigger than the tip of a pencil eraser

Sleep: it's OK...I've been waking up sick in the night

Total Weight Gain: .5 lbs

Symptoms: nausea, tired

Movement: too early

Maternity Clothes: too early

Go-to eats: rice cakes, graham crackers, ginger ale

Best moment of the week: I got an ultrasound!! I had my first prenatal visit, and since I was due for my annual she did an ultrasound. I didn't get an early one with Zooey, so I was super excited. It was definitely a little gift from God. I got to see the heartbeat - it was 194. It was so cool to see that little flickering heartbeat. It definitely made it more real to me.

Gender: I really think girl. Even more so after seeing such a high heart rate...although that's an old wive's tale. :)

What I wish people knew: I kind of want to shout it from the rooftops that I'm pregnant, but we're still waiting to tell the whole world until I'm 13 weeks, although family and many friends already know.

What I’m looking forward to: Nausea to be gone. Movement!

Milestones: Baby's arms, lets, hands and feet are taking shape, and his/her brain is forming at a rapid pace.

6 Weeks

How Far Along: 6 weeks

Size of baby: Sesame seed.

Sleep: I have a cold, so not great. Morning sickness started this week and woke me up around 4am a couple nights, too

Total Weight Gain:

Symptoms: exhaustion, nausea, growing pains, moody

Movement: too early

Maternity Clothes: not yet

Go-to eats: OJ, graham crackers, trail mix

Best moment of the week: When I got Zooey up from her nap, and she said, "I love you, baby," and she kissed my stomach. Also, as much as I hate it, I'm also glad the nausea is increasing; "they" say that's a good sign.

Gender: ?

What I wish people knew: That if I'm moody, it's because I'm exhausted and my stomach is upset because I'm pregnant.

What I’m looking forward to: Getting some cute new maternity clothes, the second trimester.

Milestones: Baby's heart started beating (most likely) and a primitive placenta is starting to do it's job.

5 Weeks

Things are progressing, I guess, because I haven't noticed any problems. My first doctor's appointment is January 31. Each pregnant is different, obviously. The biggest difference is that I have Zooey this time. I find myself worrying about how she will adjust. I am also excited to see how she will interact with the baby. She is such a loving, caring and empathetic child that I'm sure she will fall in love with him/her. I am also more preoccupied, which for me and my brain, is a good thing. I obsess a little less.

Zooey was super sick this past week, poor baby, with a fever for three days and a cough. I got to enjoy lots of snuggle time with her (although I wish it wasn't cuz she felt so sick). I kind of wondered how I'll get to do that with two kids, but I'm sure it'll all work itself out.

Tonight at dinner, while we were waiting for our food, Zooey was coloring on my phone. I drew a picture of me, Ryan and her. She said, "baby Mommy's tummy" and drew a circle over my tummy on the stick figure. We haven't told her yet, but she's a smart kid, so I'm sure she's overheard us talking. It was very sweet. Then she tried to pull my shirt up in the restaurant (not so cute lol).

How Far Along: 5 weeks

Size of baby: depends on the app. Baby Center says sesame seed

Sleep: much better this week. In fact, I'm so exhausted that I've been taking naps and logging at least eight hours at night.

Total Weight Gain: 0

Symptoms: mild nausea in the morning and late afternoon, exhaustion, crampiness, headaches, bloated, increased sensitivity to smells

Movement: too early

Maternity Clothes: too early, although I did check out some cute stuff on Old Navy that I'll be ordering when the time comes

Go-to eats: kalmatta olives & hummus earlier in the week, orange juice, lemonade

Best moment of the week: getting the positive on the digital and not starting my period!

Gender: ? I'm sure I'll go back & forth. Ryan thinks girl, and I do, too, for now

What I wish people knew: I guess this is the same as last week, that I'm very nervous and I appreciate the prayers that are being lifted up.

What I’m looking forward to: Getting bloodwork back to show my HCG count is normal.

Milestones: Baby's heart is developing this week, and will start beating sometime in week 6-7, although we won't get to hear it until sometime around 10 weeks.

Positive!

I think there's another blog post on here somewhere with the same title. Yesterday morning, after several days of just "feeling" pregnant, I woke up and took a test. It was faint, but it was there, a little blue line to confirm what I already knew deep in my heart: I'm pregnant. I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I had some mild cramping and my boobs hurt. Well, those things haven't gone away. Add to that, exhaustion, having hot flashes, and in the last two days, feeling faint and getting nauseous in the evenings, and I just knew. It's still super early, but I'm still excited and of course I'm nervous. I'm only 13 days post-ovulation (so 4 weeks pregnant tomorrow). I was surprised that the early test worked, but a friend of mine told me the hormones are higher the second time around, so I figured what the heck? My prayer is of course for 100% growth and development and also for Ryan and Zooey to adjust well, for discernment and perfect guidance for the birth plan (my OB already told me that she wants me to have a C-section the next time I have children).

So, here's my beginning stats:

How Far Along: 3 weeks 6 days

Size of baby: poppyseed

Sleep: Not so great - last night I was up from 3:00-4:45.

Total Weight Gain: 0, and I'm pretty happy with my starting point. My goal this pregnancy is to try to stay within the guidelines for the first trimester and not eat as much fast food just to eat to feel better. I also have a goal to exercise more and run, with my doc's permission, which is something I really missed doing with Zooey. I have been running really consistently for the last three years, so I don't think it should be a problem like last time.

Symptoms: sore breasts, cramping, lightheadedness, exhaustion, nausea, hot flashes and it seems like my sense of smell is increasing, too

Movement: no

Maternity Clothes: no

Go-to eats: hummus, grapefruit, and Cheerios (just like last time)

Best moment of the week: seeing that little blue line

Gender: I honestly don't have a feeling either way; however, ever since I had Zooey, I've always called my future child a girl, just because that's what I already had.

What I wish people knew: Hmm. That I'm scared and obsess that it couldn't possibly be as easy and quick as it was with Zooey and surely something bad will happen. Maybe I don't want people to know that, LOL.

What I’m looking forward to: To get another positive and make it past the date of my expected period and to have my bloodwork done to really confirm everything.

Milestones: Baby implanted sometime this last week, hence the HCG turning that little line blue.

 

TTC, Well, Not Really

I think I might be pregnant. OK, OK, I know people would think I'm crazy if I actually said that out loud to anyone, but I just...have a feeling. And my boobs hurt really bad and I have some weird happenings in my uterus. Why the crazy part? I'm only 3 days past ovulation (at least by my best calculations). Another funny thing? I'll find out on Ryan's birthday, most likely, which was when Zooey was conceived. Ha. Hahaha. Well, I guess we'll know in a couple weeks.

This time is different. I don't feel any super rush to conceive. We're not "trying" just off any form of protection against it. I'm actually freaking out a bit about the idea for several reasons: I'm on medication I need to get off, I don't want to give up my coffee, I'm worried about scarring Zooey for life with a sibling who needs attention too (I know, really rational, right?). We're basically leaving it totally in God's hands and we'll see what He does.

Waiting in Goodness

  Tonight I am pondering how good God is. Our lesson at BSF this week was about Abram and the covenant God made with him. Abram said, "what can you give me since I have no children?" It's ok to openly pour out our hearts to God. He can take it. He is strong. We can be frustrated and sad and tell Him all about it. What's cool - really cool - is that He then will give us an answer when we earnestly seek Him. Does He have to? Nope. His Word is all we need; He tells us who He is and all He's done and is going to do, and that should honestly be enough to strengthen our faith and our resolve in Him. But He knows how frail our human minds are. Frail, and yet He gave us the ability to question. He gave us the emotions - all of them. Then He counts us as righteous when we believe His promises. God made the promise to Abram that he would have a son from his own body to inherit the land God had promised. Abram believed God when he looked up at those stars, and it was credited to him as righteous. He was made right with God through faith, not through anything he did. And even though he believed, even though God had shown him something mind-blowingly amazing He still gave more. I can picture Abram that night. I can imagine his eyes fresh with tears, not tears of sadness, but tears of joy at the incredibleness of God's promise. The hopeful tears that come when He shows us something really neat. I can imagine his voice, maybe a whisper as his mind still did not comprehend: "O Sovereign Lord, how can I know?" He wanted confirmation. As our leader said, concrete confirmation. How many times have I been there? God tells me something, I say, "Wow! OK!" Then two minutes later, I want to know all the details. God then gave Abram the covenant while, as my leader pointed out, Abram was asleep. God was the only condition of the covenant. And God is God, so His covenant was unconditional. Abram then had to wait upon the Lord. He didn't get all the details, and he still had to wait, but God gave him more than imaginable. Later in the story, we know God kept His Word. I'm praying about some stuff right now, and when I feel like God isn't listening...when I feel that it is so hard to wait and I cannot live one more minute without the details and the when/how/what are You going to do?!, He sent me this lesson. And to top it off, He sent me this lecture. And to give me even more beautiful confirmation that He is the God who tenderly hears my prayers, He sent me a lady who told me, "God told me to tell you: 'Don't be discouraged, Amber. I have heard your prayers.'" She knows nothing about my prayer. She doesn't know how long I've been praying and wanting an answer. Today I cried tears of joy and hope at the incredibleness of God. God is good. And it all rests on Him. He is the God of the impossible. He is the God who grants desires which He has placed in one's heart. He hears. While we wait, He's there.

Elf on the Shelf

Today we brought home Zooey's elf. She is a girl, and Zooey named her Chocolate (love my girl!). I told her to hide the skirt for Chocolate to find and put on before she goes to see Santa tonight, and she'd be wearing the skirt tomorrow when she comes back. Zooey wanted to hold the skirt and kind of got mad about having to let it go, but then I "hid" it on the tree, which she thought was funny.

Tomorrow we start the Elf on the Shelf tradition. As I mentioned in the Santa post, I don't really like the idea of using the Elf or Santa to try to get good behavior out of Zooey. I know many parents do that, and if you're one of them, that's fine. We've just decided not to do that (for several reasons, but the simplest one? What would we "use" for behavior once Christmas was over? Threats? I already feel like I bribe my kid enough with gum for good behavior). I want Chocolate to be a silly little thing for Zooey to find every morning during the Christmas season who brings her giggles and joy. I want her to remember laughing and thinking it was fun.

This year we're starting Elf a little late; next year I'd like to start December 1. That being said, this year I don't have to sustain creativity for as long, so I'm going to have Chocolate bring a fun Christmas craft for Zooey to do each day.

Day 1