The Last 12 Weeks with Baby #2

I'm excited to do a little pregnancy recap of the last 12 weeks today.  We are really thankful to have a second baby on the way.  We struggled to conceive both with Olive and baby #2.  We had to rely on the help of doctors/specialists, lots of appointments and prayers being answered for it to happen.  Neither of us had any family history of infertility, so we were surprised that it was something that ended up being a part of our story.  Some day I'll go into more detail about our infertility journey, 

but today I'm going to focus on the the last 12 weeks.

I've always been the kind of person that wanted to wait to announce any baby news until at least our first doctors appointment just to make sure things were okay.  Plus, It was fun having a secret that Kevin and I were the only ones in on so we did the same with baby #2.  We waited to tell our family and friends until I was 16 weeks along with Olive.  Partly because we lived across the country and partly because I wasn't really showing and could get away with it.  This time was different.  It was harder to keep our baby secret when we were seeing our family frequently, I felt like I was starting to show earlier and so we decided it was the perfect time to tell them last weekend as I was wrapping up the first trimester.

  

Baby #2

Week 4 – poppy seed - August 3, 2015:

I took 3 positive pregnancy tests on August 7^th and was so happy!!  I had been feeling sluggish and extra tired so I had my suspicions confirmed.  Olive got very sick right after we found out I was pregnant.  So we spent a quiet weekend at home celebrating and taking care of her. 

Week 5 – orange seed - Aug 10:

-We headed to the Indiana State Fair this week and had a welcome to ISU picnic to go to.   

-We left Olive with her first babysitter and I cried when we left.  I blamed pregnancy hormones, but truthfully probably would have gotten teary eyed regardless.

Week 6 – sweet pea - Aug 17:

-I’m craving meat which is totally the opposite of my aversion to meat when I was pregnant with Olive.  I want ridiculous things like Taco Bell, burgers and Jimmy Johns and crave it at all hours of the day.  I sat up in bed and told Kevin that Taco Bell sounded delicious the other night.  

-I’ve been napping when Olive naps.

-We headed home to host a baby shower for my friend Sarah and I was so tired!  I felt like I was really dragging despite getting more than enough sleep during the week.  It was a busy weekend and I tried my best to keep up and squeeze in a nap.  We had a great, busy visit.  My friend Sarah and I both pregnant although no one knew my news yet :)

Week 7 – blueberry - Aug 24:

-I’m feeling nauseous and tired.  Lemon everything sounds delicious – gum, lemonade, lemon water, lemon in everything.  Never getting sick, but not feeling great.  

- I met with a new OB doctor this week.  We didn’t really click so I don’t plan to go back to her and am on the hunt for a new doctor.  Her talking about how old I was throughout the whole appointment, her love of everything natural and opposition towards medicine, her questioning my allergies and her lecture about breastfeeding were all a turn off.  I don’t have time for bad doctors.

-We are working hard with potty training Olive and staying close to home.

Week 8 - raspberry - Aug 31:

-We headed out of town to visit family and head to a wedding this weekend.  The drive was easy and I had a funny conversation with Kev as we were getting ready for the wedding.  I asked if I should wear my dress with or without the belt.  He said “I’d say with the belt if you want to show off your baby bump and without if you want to keep it a secret a little longer”  No belt it is!

-Carbs, candy and meat always sound delicious to me.

Week 9 – green olive - Sept 7:

-We had our first ultrasound at 9 weeks 4 days, met our new doctor and got a great report on baby.  I scheduled my appointment during nap time so Kevin stays with Olive and I report everything to him when I get home.  Things are a little different the second time around because Kevin and I went to every appointment together with Olive.  I'm hoping we can schedule some appointments where the whole family can go.  Strong heartbeat and everything looked great.  We go back for another appointment at 12 weeks.  I love my new doctor and am so happy I made the switch when I wasn’t happy with the first one.  I hate complaining, but something was just off with the first lady.  My new doctor was really positive, encouraging and we get along perfectly.

Week 10 – prune - Sept 14:

-We had a busy week of playdates, my sister coming in town for a visit and potlucks.  I am still feeling really tired and heading to bed well before midnight which is totally abnormal for me.  I got in bed one night at 9:55pm and seriously can't remember the last time that happened.

Week 11 – lime - Sept 21:

-Craving all kinds of fast food – taco bell, burgers, MEAT.  Seems like I’m hungry all the time.  Sugary cereal sounds delicious just like I craved with Olive.

-Felt first baby flutters.  This is earlier than I felt them with Olive, but maybe that’s because this isn’t my first baby rodeo.

-Olive was having a conversation with the grocery checkout woman.  She asked Olive if she was the biggest or the littlest in the family.  Olive didn’t miss a beat and replied “I big sister”.  It was the sweetest and I may have teared up a bit.  We’ve been talking about being a big sister so it was sweet to see it soaking in and her embracing her new title.

-Each week when we go to the store I point out the size of the baby to Olive.  This week was a lime so we talked all about the baby being the size of a lime.  She wanted to hold the lime, hug it and give it a kiss.  She says "The lime is soooooo cuuuuuuute!" 

-I also feel like I'm starting to show this week.  It was fun to look down and see Olive snuggling me and my bump.

Week 12 - plum - Sept 28:

-Baby’s 1^st visit to Notre Dame for game day.  I was 6 weeks pregnant with Olive back in 2012 when I was on campus the last time.  I’m glad that I was able to visit campus both times I've been pregnant.

-Tons of baby flutters to say hello this week especially when I’m sitting down or laying down in bed.  Olive is very into pretending to be a doctor lately.  She brought her stethoscope over to listen to my belly and said “Baby’s good!”  Thanks Doc Olive for the healthy report.

-We went to pick out pumpkins and I let Olive pick out four for our family of four.

-We have our 12 week appointment this week and I’m excited to take a peek at our little baby.  I am guessing it's a boy since my cravings and symptoms have been different this time.  We often refer to the baby as him and I've been more tired this time around.  We are excited about a boy or a girl and have no preference.  We will be finding out the gender and feel like God will give us whatever we need to complete our family.  We will see in a few weeks if there’s any truth to Mother’s intuition.

-All of my regular clothes are still fitting, but I'm noticing things are getting tighter.  I definitely need to start searching for that box of maternity clothes that is somewhere in our garage.

 Olive with a plum since that's the baby's size this week.
It's one of my favorite parts of the week.
She's already the cutest big sis.

I'm in my 13th week now and still feeling tired, but overall pretty good :)
My blog post from 2013 where I shared my first 18 Weeks with Olive.

I am due April 9, 2016 which happens to be my dad's birthday.

We'll see if the family tradition of shared birthdays happens again.

Tune back in tomorrow to read about the fun way we announced our baby news!!