30 Weeks: 6-9 Weeks to Go!

Disclaimer: This is my second pregnancy.  With my first pregnancy my daughter was born preterm, breech and via C-section.  Due to my age, my medical history (hello, incompetent cervix!) and my daughter being delivered preterm I am being classified as high-risk.  Things could get a little crazy in here so proceed with caution.

How far along: 30 Weeks

Total weight gain: 36 pounds. I actually lost weight!

Maternity clothes: Oh yeah.

Stretch marks: Nothing new

Sleep: So much pain!  If it is my sciatica than it is nerve damage from my previous c-section keeping me up.  Lately, the bulging disk is my lower back has been making it hard for me to bend over.  I'm finally investing in a pregnancy belt.  

Best moment of this week: Taking Scarlett to her big sister class.  Honestly, she was a pain the whole time, but I do think she absorbed some information.  She also got to take her second hospital tour so if nothing else she'll be really comfortable when she comes to visit me.  

Miss anything: Not being in pain?  

Movement: This little girl is strong!  So strong that she kicked me so hard on the left side that she must have hit a nerve and it aggravated my bulging disk in my back.  

Food cravings: Nah.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just really strong smells.  

Have you started to show yet: YES!

Gender: Female

Labor signs: No, but I worry about how my cervix is holding up although nothing can be done.  

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: off

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Getting stuff done!  There is so much to do.  I need a week to clean and organize this house, but that isn't going to happen with my back giving out.

* Since we did not spill the beans on this pregnancy to our family until I was 14 weeks pregnant, there will be a fair amount of backtracking until I can get caught up.  Hang in there! 

24 Weeks and Things Just Got Real

Disclaimer: This is my second pregnancy.  With my first pregnancy my daughter was born preterm, breech and via C-section.  Due to my age, my medical history (hello, incompetent cervix!) and my daughter being delivered preterm I am being classified as high-risk.  Things could get a little crazy in here so proceed with caution.


How far along: 24 weeks

Total weight gain: 29 pounds.  Over the last month, I just haven't been able to do much.  I move around a lot at work, but once I am home I am usually parked in the sitting position.  I know, I know, not good.  Once I get us into a new normal routine and the weather warms up, I'll be taking out dog, Leia, for lots of walks.  

Maternity clothes: Yes!  And I hate them.  No matter what size I buy my shirts ride up while my pants slide down.  

Stretch marks: Nope.  

Sleep: Not bad.  I usually wake up once during the night.  

Best moment of this week: Scarlett kissing my belly and saying, "I love you Vivienne.  I love you so much!"

Miss anything: Just the usual stuff.  Going for a run regularly and relaxing with a drink with my husband.  

Movement: Boy, is she a wiggle worm!  I just went through a 4 day period where she non-stop flipped, kicked and punched me.  Luckily, she seems to have slowed down now.  

Food cravings: No, although sugar is hard to resist!  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just nasty smelling things.  

Have you started to show yet: Yes!

Gender: Still a girl!  I had another ultrasound this week and I had the tech checked. She assured me that nothing had "sprouted" yet.  

Labor signs: Here is where things get sticky.  At the start of my pregnancy, my OB laid out a plan to check my cervix at the 20 and 24 week mark.  Why?  Well, I have an incompetent cervix and my daughter was born a month early when my water unexpectedly broke.  She felt this was the best plan of action since I had no other signs that my body would deliver early.  

My 19 week ultrasound showed that I had 4 cm of cervix - "oodles of cervix" my OB said.  Then, my 24 week ultrasound showed that my cervix had thinned to just under 3 cm.  I had "lost" about a centimeter of cervix thickness in 5 weeks.  

At this point, my OB assured me there is nothing to be done.  It is still thankfully closed, but it has thinned.  I'm not in the danger zone yet, which is less than 2.5 CM, but I'm getting close.  Given this information, it is not hard to surmise how it happened that my daughter was born a month early.  If logic dictates, which it rarely does with our pregnant bodies, I'll continue to lose another centimeter a month which leads me to believe that by 36 weeks I'll be having a baby again.  Let's just hope she waits until AFTER Memorial Day so I can help her big sister at her big yearly dance recital.  

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: Off

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy, but getting stressed with everything that needs to be done before this bambino arrives.  

Looking forward to: I can tell you what I am NOT looking forward to:  My blood glucose test at my next appoint at 28 weeks.  Yuck to drinking that stuff.

* Since we did not spill the beans on this pregnancy to our family until I was 14 weeks pregnant, there will be a fair amount of backtracking until I can get caught up.  Hang in there! 

20 Weeks Pregnant and Halfway Baked!

Disclaimer: This is my second pregnancy.  With my first pregnancy my daughter was born preterm, breech and via C-section.  Due to my age, my medical history (hello, incompetent cervix!) and my daughter being delivered preterm I am being classified as high-risk.  Things could get a little crazy in here so proceed with caution.

How far along: 20 weeks

Total weight gain: 30 pounds, but my weight gain seems to be slowing down. 

Maternity clothes: All of the time.

Stretch marks: Nothing new.

Sleep: Yes, please!

Best moment of this week: The OB let Scarlett hold the wand for the doppler so she could find the baby's heartbeat.  I really wish I'd had my camera ready to snap a picture.  She was thrilled that she could be a big helper and she loves doctors!  

Miss anything: Being able to relax and unwind - there is so much to do.

Movement: Oh yeah.  She's been moving quite a bit.  

Food cravings: I just really want bland foods which means carbs which leads to unnecessary weight gain because my body hates yeast. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Really flavorful foods.  My tastebuds just can't handle it.  

Have you started to show yet: I think so!

Gender: Another girl!  We are so lucky!  You can watch our 4 year old daughter finding out that she is having a sister HERE.

Labor signs: Nope, in fact I have "lots of cervix" according to my OB.  I have an incompetent cervix so they are monitoring me closely to see if I will deliver early again.  

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On, but I think I'm going to have to take it off soon.  

Happy or moody most of the time: Tired.  Just so tired.  

Looking forward to: Another ultrasound at 24 weeks to make sure my cervix is still holding up!

* Since we did not spill the beans on this pregnancy to our family until I was 14 weeks pregnant, there will be a fair amount of backtracking until I can get caught up.  Hang in there! 

Virtual Charity Runs and Super Bowl Sunday!

A couple of weeks ago I received a medal from Virtual Charity Runs for a 1 mile/5K/10K run or walk.  Since I'm at the point that I reserve my runs for the weekend and I always get at least a mile in I decided that today was the day that I needed to push myself to get in a 5K (3.1 miles) to earn my medal benefiting the Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue.

My sweet new bling!

It was a frigid 20 degrees when Leia and I set out on our longest walk to date.  Since I've run 10 mile loops around my neighborhood many times while half marathon training, I knew exactly which way to go to get in 3.1 miles.  I wasn't sure how Leia would do on such a long walk on a new route but overall she did great!  You could tell she was nervous at some points and she definitely pulled me once or twice when she thought we were headed home, but we got it done and met a few neighbors along the way.

Since I was running and walking this 5K, I clocked my slowest time yet at just under an hour, but that wasn't the point.  Both my dog and I needed exercise and I wanted to hang up my new Boston Terrier medal with my other race bling.

The fact that I even set out on this 3 mile journey at almost 20 weeks pregnant (half baked!) is amazing to me since I barely moved on the weekends when I was pregnant with my daughter Scarlett.

Caught in the act! 

After Leia and I came home from our journey, we set out to run some errands including picking out baby clothes for Vivienne.  Scarlett tore the store and had a huge pile of clothes in her hands before I even finished looking at one rack.  We found the cutest little sandals for her too!  I know it sounds ridiculous but Scarlett is obsessed with taking Vivienne to the beach this summer.  Here's hoping they are both water babies.

The cashiers, "Awwwed" when I bought these. 

Now it is time to settle in for the evening after finishing up chores so we can cheer on the Pats in the Big Game.  We have a friend driving up from visiting New York that might stop in later on his way home.  He's a Cleveland Browns fan but we don't hold it against him.

Looking for last minute Super Bowl recipes?  Check out what I made last year HERE.