The not-so-big day is finally here. My pregnancy confirmation appointment. I'm 7w 4days. The appointment is supposed to consist of blood & urine tests and a full medical history. Nothing else. I'm not excited at all. It seems like such a waste of time. I guess we'll see how it goes!
How I'm feeling today... I'm so glad to be home and sleeping in my own bed! We finally got home yesterday and I was more than ready to be back. I'm having occasional nausea if I smell something I don't like, such as the dirty diaper of my daughter. Yuck! If I roll over too fast, I'm experiencing some muscle cramps. These are generally called round ligament pains, and I definitely did not experience them so early last time around. They are a little alarming the first time you feel them and don't know what is going on. I know the first time I experienced them with my first pregnancy I was on the phone to the doctor's office pretty quickly. I thought they might be contractions. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. Other than that, things are good! The first trimester is more than half over already!!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Christmas joys and woes
We're still not home from our Christmas travels, but I have a few minutes by myself today. I promised I would share how breaking the news to our family went. It was a big letdown for me! We wanted to find a "Big Sister" shirt for our daughter to wear to help make the announcement, and we did finally. We had her in a sweatsuit with the jacket zipped up so that no one could read her shirt. Once everyone was there, we were going to take it off and just see who noticed. My sister and parents knew, but I still wanted everyone there. Before my dad arrived, my sister told my husband that Kate looked hot and so he took her jacket off. My 15 year old cousin says, "Why does her shirt say 'Big Sister?'" And someone, of course, asked if I was pregnant. I was really bummed at how it was going down so I said no. They acted excited, but everyone wasn't in the room. Finally my grandma comes in and acts all confused and someone explains to her. They were genuinely excited and there were plenty of congratulations, but I was hoping for a more organized moment. I guess that's the luck of the draw when it's your second child. Other than that, Kate had a virus on the trip and Kraig finally caught my cold. We're all finally recovering, I think, so hopefully the next two days will be better. I'm excited to get home for my doctor's appointment on Friday. I know I'm not going to get to see the doctor, but hopefully it will make this all seem real.
It's starting to look real, though. They say you show faster with your second, and they're not kidding! I was fine one days and all of a sudden a few days before six weeks, my pants decide not to fit anymore. I have an obvious baby bump that sucking in will not hide. It's pretty crazy. I'm not quite big enough for my maternity shirts yet, but it won't be long. And no, it's not from gas or constipation.
In other news, a guy from our church who has been waiting on a heart transplant for a long time finally got one on Christmas day. The surgery went very well, but afterwards things got a little sticky. They had to go back in and explore things, but he seems to be doing better now. He and his family, the Flynns, could definitely use your prayers.
I also have a sweet friend from college who is on hospital bed rest with her twin boys right now. One of the baby's water broke on Thursday and they're keeping her in the hospital until it's safe for them to be delivered or until they have to deliver them. The baby's are almost 29 weeks at this point, but they are much to small to leave their Mommy right now. Please pray for her and her family. She has a toddler at home, as well, and their hospital is a good distance from where they live. Pray for the strength of the babies, that they would mature quickly and be able to be born healthy. Pray that they are able to stay in for the next eight weeks that they're hoping for. Pray that no infections develop and that she not go into labor on her own. Pray for her husband as he juggles work, master's classes, a toddler and being away from his wife. Pray for her, too. For her strength, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually to get through this trying time. Pray that the doctors would make the best decisions for everyone involved. It's a scary situation, but it's nothing God can't handle!! I wish I could do more than pray, but I'm glad if there is one thing I can do it's plead to God for them!
How I'm feeling...I'm exhausted. With Kate being sick this week, I've missed a lot of sleep. It's definitely not helping the pregnancy exhaustion at all. So far, still no morning sickness. I'm also feeling nervous. After dealing with a particularly difficult sick child this week, I'm doubting my ability to handle two. I know I'll be fine, but my emotions are a wreck!
It's starting to look real, though. They say you show faster with your second, and they're not kidding! I was fine one days and all of a sudden a few days before six weeks, my pants decide not to fit anymore. I have an obvious baby bump that sucking in will not hide. It's pretty crazy. I'm not quite big enough for my maternity shirts yet, but it won't be long. And no, it's not from gas or constipation.
In other news, a guy from our church who has been waiting on a heart transplant for a long time finally got one on Christmas day. The surgery went very well, but afterwards things got a little sticky. They had to go back in and explore things, but he seems to be doing better now. He and his family, the Flynns, could definitely use your prayers.
I also have a sweet friend from college who is on hospital bed rest with her twin boys right now. One of the baby's water broke on Thursday and they're keeping her in the hospital until it's safe for them to be delivered or until they have to deliver them. The baby's are almost 29 weeks at this point, but they are much to small to leave their Mommy right now. Please pray for her and her family. She has a toddler at home, as well, and their hospital is a good distance from where they live. Pray for the strength of the babies, that they would mature quickly and be able to be born healthy. Pray that they are able to stay in for the next eight weeks that they're hoping for. Pray that no infections develop and that she not go into labor on her own. Pray for her husband as he juggles work, master's classes, a toddler and being away from his wife. Pray for her, too. For her strength, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually to get through this trying time. Pray that the doctors would make the best decisions for everyone involved. It's a scary situation, but it's nothing God can't handle!! I wish I could do more than pray, but I'm glad if there is one thing I can do it's plead to God for them!
How I'm feeling...I'm exhausted. With Kate being sick this week, I've missed a lot of sleep. It's definitely not helping the pregnancy exhaustion at all. So far, still no morning sickness. I'm also feeling nervous. After dealing with a particularly difficult sick child this week, I'm doubting my ability to handle two. I know I'll be fine, but my emotions are a wreck!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Three more days....
(til we leave for our Christmas travels!!)
As we prepare to leave to be with our families for Christmas, I'm reminded of how we told my extended family that we were expecting. While we wanted to wait until my first doctor's appointment or the end of the first trimester (which, oddly enough, came the same week), we wanted to be able to tell our family in person. The reaction is so much better than over the phone, as we've learned from when we called and told our parents and siblings about Baby #2 a couple weeks ago. We tossed around different ideas, but my mom called one day and said that she had a gift I could open early that would tell everyone. So as the family gathered at my parents' house, preparing to eat, my mom tossed me a package and told everyone that she wanted me to open it now. I remember trying to open it, but my hands were shaking either from nerves or excitement. It was crazy. When I finally got the wrapping paper off, it revealed a Willow Tree figurine box. I immediately knew what it was, but I opened the box to show everyone else. It was Cherish, the figurine of a pregnant woman gently touching her baby belly. It took a few moments for everyone to understand it's significance, but then the room was filled with congratulations. It is a very special memory, especially because my grandfather who passed away just before Kate was born was there to hear the good news.
This time around, we're planning to share at Christmas, but I'm not sure how quite yet. We won't be there when the whole family is gathered, but I'll have my uncle's family and my grandma to share it with. I'll share how it went after we return home.
How I'm feeling...I'm feeling like this first trimester might last forever. It's nice that you get an extra two weeks when you weren't really pregnant tacked on to the total, but it's still a long time. We got a positive pregnancy test at 3 weeks, 5 days. With Kate, I didn't realize that I needed to test until 5 weeks, 2 days. It's only an eleven day difference, but it seems significant. Today, I'm 5 weeks, 5 days. Thirteen more days until my pregnancy confirmation appointment. I'll be 7 weeks, 4 days. By the time I finally see the midwife/doctor, I'll be 13 weeks. Seems like forever away.
As we prepare to leave to be with our families for Christmas, I'm reminded of how we told my extended family that we were expecting. While we wanted to wait until my first doctor's appointment or the end of the first trimester (which, oddly enough, came the same week), we wanted to be able to tell our family in person. The reaction is so much better than over the phone, as we've learned from when we called and told our parents and siblings about Baby #2 a couple weeks ago. We tossed around different ideas, but my mom called one day and said that she had a gift I could open early that would tell everyone. So as the family gathered at my parents' house, preparing to eat, my mom tossed me a package and told everyone that she wanted me to open it now. I remember trying to open it, but my hands were shaking either from nerves or excitement. It was crazy. When I finally got the wrapping paper off, it revealed a Willow Tree figurine box. I immediately knew what it was, but I opened the box to show everyone else. It was Cherish, the figurine of a pregnant woman gently touching her baby belly. It took a few moments for everyone to understand it's significance, but then the room was filled with congratulations. It is a very special memory, especially because my grandfather who passed away just before Kate was born was there to hear the good news.
This time around, we're planning to share at Christmas, but I'm not sure how quite yet. We won't be there when the whole family is gathered, but I'll have my uncle's family and my grandma to share it with. I'll share how it went after we return home.
How I'm feeling...I'm feeling like this first trimester might last forever. It's nice that you get an extra two weeks when you weren't really pregnant tacked on to the total, but it's still a long time. We got a positive pregnancy test at 3 weeks, 5 days. With Kate, I didn't realize that I needed to test until 5 weeks, 2 days. It's only an eleven day difference, but it seems significant. Today, I'm 5 weeks, 5 days. Thirteen more days until my pregnancy confirmation appointment. I'll be 7 weeks, 4 days. By the time I finally see the midwife/doctor, I'll be 13 weeks. Seems like forever away.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
My faves...
If this is your first pregnancy, you're probably getting tons of advice about what different baby and pregnancy items you should try. Some of the advice is good. Some is worthless. My advice, of course, is the best. All jokes aside, I would like to share some of my favorite items and some of the ones I wasted money on.
1) The absolute best item you can have in your pregnancy wardrobe is a Bella Band. It's a stretchy band that you use to help your pants fit. You can wear it over unbuttoned pants that are too small in the beginning of your pregnancy, use it to help hold up maternity clothes that are too big in the middle, and wear it over your pre-pregnancy pants again after the baby is born, but before you've lost all that baby weight. It's affordable and it will save you from trying to buy clothes to accommodate your ever-growing body before you're ready for them. Check it out here http://www.ingridandisabel.com/bellaband.html. They are carried in several stores, but the cheapest I've seen is $16.99 at Target.
2) Sleep bras. Typically, I don't sleep in a bra. When that area becomes super sensitive, though, I find it helpful to sleep with a little support. My favorite was a sleep, nursing bra from Motherhood Maternity. I bought it for when I would be nursing, but it came in handy well before the baby was born. It's just a gentle support. Nothing tight or constricting.
3) It's not a product, but I love www.babycenter.com. It's a website all about pregnancy and parenting. There are great discussion boards that you can join to talk to women that are due around the same time that you are and see what they're going through. I enjoy reading them and knowing that I'm not the only crazy pregnant lady out there. There's also a week-by-week calendar that shows what's going on with your baby and your body. I love to see the progress.
4) The mother of all pregnancy books, of course, is What to Expect When You're Expecting. I read it religiously. It's a good resource for all those questions you have that aren't necessarily doctor worthy. I very strongly recommend it for all pregnant women.
5) Hand-in-hand with the book is www.whattoexpect.com. It has a lot of the information that the book has, but it also provides an outlet for discussing your pregnancy with other moms-to-be. It's a great resource!
6) With pregnancy brain being a common problem for expecting mothers, I recommend lots of note pads and a planner/calendar for your purse. The note pads are great for making lists of things to do or things that have already been done, just in case you forget. And you will. The calendar is super important as you will constantly be scheduling doctor's appointments for you for the next nine months, and then for your baby as soon as he or she is born.
7) Extra pillows or a special made pregnancy body pillow. By the time our daughter was born, my husband barely had any room in our bed. I used 4-5 pillows every night to try to stay comfortable. Two under my head, one to hug, one between my knees, and one between my feet. It was insane, but it helped.
8) While I have no experience with morning sickness, I have heard Preggie Pops highly recommended for anyone that does. You can usually find them at Target and bigger drug stores.
9) Soothie brand bottles. The nipples are the same shape as the Soothie pacifiers that hospitals give out. They were great when we needed to transition from breast to bottle. I also loved the bigger shape of the bottles.
10) If you choose to use formula, don't be afraid of the generic brands. Formulas are government regulated, so they're all basically the same. Even my pediatrician said that generic was just as good. And you can't beat it at half the price!
Pregnancy/Baby items that I didn't like...
1) Stretchmark lotions. While they're great for soothing stretched out, dry skin, doctors agree that they're not going to help. You either get stretchmarks or you don't. Any good lotion will help with the dry skin.
2) The Itzbeen timer. It's a device that allows you to track diaper changes, naps, feedings and even what breast you last nursed on. However, I found that as a harried, sleepless mother of a newborn, I rarely remembered to push the button to reset the timers, so it wasn't effective at all for me. You may have better success with it, but it wasn't for me.
3) Butt Paste. It may be good for preventing diaper rash, but there's nothing that competes with Desitin for healing diaper rash. What Butt Paste will take days to heal, Desitin can do in a treatment or two.
Those really are the only three I can think of at the moment. And you may like the ones that I didn't like, and vice versa. These are just my personal experiences and opinions:)
How I'm feeling today...exhausted!!! Either I'd forgotten how tired you get or it's worse this time around. I feel like I can't keep my eyes open!
1) The absolute best item you can have in your pregnancy wardrobe is a Bella Band. It's a stretchy band that you use to help your pants fit. You can wear it over unbuttoned pants that are too small in the beginning of your pregnancy, use it to help hold up maternity clothes that are too big in the middle, and wear it over your pre-pregnancy pants again after the baby is born, but before you've lost all that baby weight. It's affordable and it will save you from trying to buy clothes to accommodate your ever-growing body before you're ready for them. Check it out here http://www.ingridandisabel.com/bellaband.html. They are carried in several stores, but the cheapest I've seen is $16.99 at Target.
2) Sleep bras. Typically, I don't sleep in a bra. When that area becomes super sensitive, though, I find it helpful to sleep with a little support. My favorite was a sleep, nursing bra from Motherhood Maternity. I bought it for when I would be nursing, but it came in handy well before the baby was born. It's just a gentle support. Nothing tight or constricting.
3) It's not a product, but I love www.babycenter.com. It's a website all about pregnancy and parenting. There are great discussion boards that you can join to talk to women that are due around the same time that you are and see what they're going through. I enjoy reading them and knowing that I'm not the only crazy pregnant lady out there. There's also a week-by-week calendar that shows what's going on with your baby and your body. I love to see the progress.
4) The mother of all pregnancy books, of course, is What to Expect When You're Expecting. I read it religiously. It's a good resource for all those questions you have that aren't necessarily doctor worthy. I very strongly recommend it for all pregnant women.
5) Hand-in-hand with the book is www.whattoexpect.com. It has a lot of the information that the book has, but it also provides an outlet for discussing your pregnancy with other moms-to-be. It's a great resource!
6) With pregnancy brain being a common problem for expecting mothers, I recommend lots of note pads and a planner/calendar for your purse. The note pads are great for making lists of things to do or things that have already been done, just in case you forget. And you will. The calendar is super important as you will constantly be scheduling doctor's appointments for you for the next nine months, and then for your baby as soon as he or she is born.
7) Extra pillows or a special made pregnancy body pillow. By the time our daughter was born, my husband barely had any room in our bed. I used 4-5 pillows every night to try to stay comfortable. Two under my head, one to hug, one between my knees, and one between my feet. It was insane, but it helped.
8) While I have no experience with morning sickness, I have heard Preggie Pops highly recommended for anyone that does. You can usually find them at Target and bigger drug stores.
9) Soothie brand bottles. The nipples are the same shape as the Soothie pacifiers that hospitals give out. They were great when we needed to transition from breast to bottle. I also loved the bigger shape of the bottles.
10) If you choose to use formula, don't be afraid of the generic brands. Formulas are government regulated, so they're all basically the same. Even my pediatrician said that generic was just as good. And you can't beat it at half the price!
Pregnancy/Baby items that I didn't like...
1) Stretchmark lotions. While they're great for soothing stretched out, dry skin, doctors agree that they're not going to help. You either get stretchmarks or you don't. Any good lotion will help with the dry skin.
2) The Itzbeen timer. It's a device that allows you to track diaper changes, naps, feedings and even what breast you last nursed on. However, I found that as a harried, sleepless mother of a newborn, I rarely remembered to push the button to reset the timers, so it wasn't effective at all for me. You may have better success with it, but it wasn't for me.
3) Butt Paste. It may be good for preventing diaper rash, but there's nothing that competes with Desitin for healing diaper rash. What Butt Paste will take days to heal, Desitin can do in a treatment or two.
Those really are the only three I can think of at the moment. And you may like the ones that I didn't like, and vice versa. These are just my personal experiences and opinions:)
How I'm feeling today...exhausted!!! Either I'd forgotten how tired you get or it's worse this time around. I feel like I can't keep my eyes open!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Pregnancy...my new diet?
In my first pregnancy, I did not get the flu shot. I had the flu many times. I also had several stomach bugs throughout the course of the winter months. It was terrible. I actually lost weight. I got so dehydrated that I had to go to the hospital for IV fluids. Very exciting. So have I gotten a shot this winter yet? No. I was planning on it before I got pregnant, but it never happened. I really just need to go get it. I've already researched, and they still have them at Walgreens. It really is the best thing to do if you're pregnant. It's good for you and the baby. It can even protect your baby that's too young for a flu shot from the flu. I'm going. I promise.
So far, I'm feeling good. My daughter is sick with a terrible cold right now, but so far Kraig and I have managed to avoid getting it. I hope it stays that way. I'm also hoping she gets better soon. She's not sleeping well, which means I'm not sleeping well. A great addition to the fatigue of pregnancy!
Next time? My favorite pregnancy products and tools...
So far, I'm feeling good. My daughter is sick with a terrible cold right now, but so far Kraig and I have managed to avoid getting it. I hope it stays that way. I'm also hoping she gets better soon. She's not sleeping well, which means I'm not sleeping well. A great addition to the fatigue of pregnancy!
Next time? My favorite pregnancy products and tools...
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Twins?
I have an irrational fear of having multiples. My sister has twin, three year old girls and they're awesome. Having multiples wouldn't be so bad. However, my sister didn't find out she was having twins until she was nearing her third trimester. Talk about a shock! When I was pregnant with our first child, I had nightmares on a regular basis that we were having three or four babies at once. Needless to say, the first ultrasound was very comforting to me. Too bad I had to wait until 13 weeks to get there! I did ask the doctor if he was sure there was only one. He just laughed. Even now I feel like there's a possibility that I'm carrying twins. My pregnancy tests were positive earlier than usual. My symptoms seem to be more severe and much earlier than before. I have a very active imagination. I know that my blood levels will be different if it's twins, but not having an ultrasound until around 18 weeks seems like forever.
I think I'm more paranoid of something going wrong this time around. I'm afraid to pick up my daughter. Every little feeling I have makes me think that something might be wrong. I thought this was supposed to be easier the second time around?! I'll feel better once I get to go to the doctor, I'm sure, but that's still 22 days away. Until then, I'm praying for sanity and for a healthy baby and pregnancy. Well, even after that I'll be praying those things, I suppose.
How am I feeling? I'm suddenly exhausted. It came out of nowhere yesterday. I've had a few waves of nausea and I'm definitely feeling some abdominal aches. I'm not really sure I'd call them cramps, but it feels weird and achy. I had zero symptoms with Baby #1, so I feel like this is a whole different ball game. Hopefully, they'll pass quickly and I can stop worrying about everything!!
Next blog? The mistake of NOT getting the flu shot when you're pregnant. It's a big one!
I think I'm more paranoid of something going wrong this time around. I'm afraid to pick up my daughter. Every little feeling I have makes me think that something might be wrong. I thought this was supposed to be easier the second time around?! I'll feel better once I get to go to the doctor, I'm sure, but that's still 22 days away. Until then, I'm praying for sanity and for a healthy baby and pregnancy. Well, even after that I'll be praying those things, I suppose.
How am I feeling? I'm suddenly exhausted. It came out of nowhere yesterday. I've had a few waves of nausea and I'm definitely feeling some abdominal aches. I'm not really sure I'd call them cramps, but it feels weird and achy. I had zero symptoms with Baby #1, so I feel like this is a whole different ball game. Hopefully, they'll pass quickly and I can stop worrying about everything!!
Next blog? The mistake of NOT getting the flu shot when you're pregnant. It's a big one!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Spreading the news!
Things are definitely a little different the second time around. Saturday night when we got the digital "pregnant," we jumped up and down and immediately called our parents and sisters. I was hesitant because it's so early, but we wanted to share are good news. They were shocked. Just two weeks ago we were with Kraig's family for Thanksgiving and I assured them that I was not pregnant. Guess I was wrong! With our first pregnancy things were a little different.
With Baby #1, I took my first pregnancy test on a Sunday afternoon. It was November 23rd, three days before we were expecting Kraig's family to arrive at our house for Thanksgiving. We decided that we would much rather share the news in person, especially since it was only a few days to wait. Kate was the first grandchild in Kraig's family. We tried to find a cute way to tell everyone, but we couldn't think of anything spectacular. We ended up hiding the tiny pair of shoes I'd bought for Kraig on our Christmas tree, hoping that someone would find them. We really thought we could wait until they were discovered. Everyone arrived late Wednesday night, and we waited for a while but the anticipation was too much. Kraig walked over to the tree and said, "Do you like our new ornament?" and threw the shoes at his mom. It wasn't long until everyone realized what was going on and lots of excitement filled the small house.
We were headed to throw a surprise 25th anniversary party for my parents a week and a half later, so we decided to tell them in person, too. We went to my sister's house the night before the party to get the planning done. Not long after we arrived my sister flat out said, "You're pregnant, aren't you?." There was no telling, she just knew. After a successful party the next night, we had my parents open their card from Kraig and I before we all left to go home. The card was signed "Love, Kraig, Stacy & Baby Bishop." They were thrilled! My mom was a little miffed that we didn't call and tell her immediately, but I wanted to see the looks on their faces. We told a few other close friends not long after that, but we saved our big announcement until the end of the first trimester. It was a long wait. I was showing pretty early, so I'm sure there were plenty of speculations before we finally told everyone.
This time around, we're thinking we'll tell our extended families at Christmas and then we'll announce it to the rest of the world (aka Facebook) after my first appointment on December 31st. I'll also take this blog public at that time, I think. Right now, I'm writing it more for me, but I do hope it becomes something more. I loved reading this kind of stuff, so I figure I can't be the only one:) That's our stories, though. Nothing too exciting. It's hard to be too sneaky and elaborate when you're so excited. You just wanna spill the beans!
Oh yes! I also promised an update on how I'm feeling so far. Today I'm 4w 2d, I think. Emotionally, I'm doing well. The first night or two, I was excited but I also cried several times. I feel like I'm going to be neglecting Kate if I have another baby. I know that's not true, but it made me cry. She needs to get used to not being the center of attention. It will be good for her. Now I'm just working through the logistics of where we're going to put a baby. We're hoping to buy a house that we can be in before the baby is born. We're paying too much for our rental now, and it's not a ton of space. We'll see!! Physically, I'm hungry, but it's probably in my head. Other than that, nothing so far. And I'm fine with that. I never really had symptoms with Kate and it was wonderful.
Next post? My fear of multiples...
With Baby #1, I took my first pregnancy test on a Sunday afternoon. It was November 23rd, three days before we were expecting Kraig's family to arrive at our house for Thanksgiving. We decided that we would much rather share the news in person, especially since it was only a few days to wait. Kate was the first grandchild in Kraig's family. We tried to find a cute way to tell everyone, but we couldn't think of anything spectacular. We ended up hiding the tiny pair of shoes I'd bought for Kraig on our Christmas tree, hoping that someone would find them. We really thought we could wait until they were discovered. Everyone arrived late Wednesday night, and we waited for a while but the anticipation was too much. Kraig walked over to the tree and said, "Do you like our new ornament?" and threw the shoes at his mom. It wasn't long until everyone realized what was going on and lots of excitement filled the small house.
We were headed to throw a surprise 25th anniversary party for my parents a week and a half later, so we decided to tell them in person, too. We went to my sister's house the night before the party to get the planning done. Not long after we arrived my sister flat out said, "You're pregnant, aren't you?." There was no telling, she just knew. After a successful party the next night, we had my parents open their card from Kraig and I before we all left to go home. The card was signed "Love, Kraig, Stacy & Baby Bishop." They were thrilled! My mom was a little miffed that we didn't call and tell her immediately, but I wanted to see the looks on their faces. We told a few other close friends not long after that, but we saved our big announcement until the end of the first trimester. It was a long wait. I was showing pretty early, so I'm sure there were plenty of speculations before we finally told everyone.
This time around, we're thinking we'll tell our extended families at Christmas and then we'll announce it to the rest of the world (aka Facebook) after my first appointment on December 31st. I'll also take this blog public at that time, I think. Right now, I'm writing it more for me, but I do hope it becomes something more. I loved reading this kind of stuff, so I figure I can't be the only one:) That's our stories, though. Nothing too exciting. It's hard to be too sneaky and elaborate when you're so excited. You just wanna spill the beans!
Oh yes! I also promised an update on how I'm feeling so far. Today I'm 4w 2d, I think. Emotionally, I'm doing well. The first night or two, I was excited but I also cried several times. I feel like I'm going to be neglecting Kate if I have another baby. I know that's not true, but it made me cry. She needs to get used to not being the center of attention. It will be good for her. Now I'm just working through the logistics of where we're going to put a baby. We're hoping to buy a house that we can be in before the baby is born. We're paying too much for our rental now, and it's not a ton of space. We'll see!! Physically, I'm hungry, but it's probably in my head. Other than that, nothing so far. And I'm fine with that. I never really had symptoms with Kate and it was wonderful.
Next post? My fear of multiples...
I peed on a stick (or three or four)
In my last post, I promised the stories of how we've discovered our pregnancies. And, naturally, it was because I peed on a stick. I know, not funny. But here we go...
Baby #1
We were not expecting our first pregnancy. We had not been preventing pregnancy for 7 or 8 months, but obviously nothing had happened. On Sunday, November 23, 2008, we went to church and went to lunch at Moe's, I think. As we were pulling out of the parking lot onto the main road, I had the revelation that my period was at least a week late. So I said to my husband, "Can we stop at Walmart? I think I need a pregnancy test." He responded with a big grin, and we went to Walmart. I bought a pack of three pregnancy tests. Obviously, one is not enough. So we went home, I used the test and there was a faint line. I came out of the bathroom shaking and called Kraig in to look at the test. He agreed that there was a faint line. I took another one later on that day that also had a faint line. At this point, I was excited but not wanting to accept it, just in case. I told my husband that we weren't going to talk about it, and I'd test again in the morning. The next morning, I was up before Kraig was for work because I was excited to try again. The third test was also positive, but more obvious than the previous two. We were going to have a baby!
I had plans of how I would tell Kraig that I was expecting. A few months before I'd purchased a few baby items to wrap up and give him as a "surprise," but he'd practically been with me when I took the tests. No surprising him now. But I did get out the baby items (shoes and a bib that said something about Daddy) and give them to him before he headed to work. I'm pretty sure we were both glowing from excitement. I can't think of a better thrill!
Baby #2
Our hope was to be strategic in when this baby would be born. We live far away from our families and we live in the mountains, so we knew we didn't want a baby at a time that would impede our holiday travels or where the weather would prevent our family to come visit. My husband is also out-of-town several weeks in the summer, and I'm definitely not interested in having a baby by myself. So between December and February are good months for us to conceive, and between June and August. I went off birth control several months ago just to get my cycles regulated so that we could try between December and February. But I conceived in November. Both our babies have been conceived in November, actually. But something in me knew I was pregnant the moment it happened. I didn't feel funny, I don't have any symptoms, I just knew that we were pregnant. My period was set to start on Monday, December 6th, but I was too anxious to wait. I bought a two pack of regular pregnancy tests on Friday the 3rd. I took the first one Friday night, and I was convinced there was a faint line. Kraig agreed. So we waited and I took another Saturday morning. Still a faint line, but definitely stronger than the night before. I couldn't take the anticipation anymore, so I went to Target and bought two digital tests. There's nothing like the word "pregnant" on the screen to convince you. Saturday night I took the digital test, and it was positive. We're pregnant! I still had another digital left, so I took it Saturday morning just to make sure the previous three weren't flukes. It also said "pregnant." It may be a month earlier than we planned, but we are ecstatic! Kate, our firstborn, will have just turned two when this baby is born. Hopefully, she'll be potty trained and able to be Mommy's big helper.
We couldn't be more thrilled. I'm so excited to be pregnant again. It's especially neat to be pregnant at Christmas time and to think about what Mary must have gone through with Jesus. It's also a great reminder that I am so thankful I don't have to have a baby on the floor in a barn with a bunch of animals watching. I can't imagine what that must have been like.
Next up? How we told everyone and an update on how I'm feeling.
Baby #1
We were not expecting our first pregnancy. We had not been preventing pregnancy for 7 or 8 months, but obviously nothing had happened. On Sunday, November 23, 2008, we went to church and went to lunch at Moe's, I think. As we were pulling out of the parking lot onto the main road, I had the revelation that my period was at least a week late. So I said to my husband, "Can we stop at Walmart? I think I need a pregnancy test." He responded with a big grin, and we went to Walmart. I bought a pack of three pregnancy tests. Obviously, one is not enough. So we went home, I used the test and there was a faint line. I came out of the bathroom shaking and called Kraig in to look at the test. He agreed that there was a faint line. I took another one later on that day that also had a faint line. At this point, I was excited but not wanting to accept it, just in case. I told my husband that we weren't going to talk about it, and I'd test again in the morning. The next morning, I was up before Kraig was for work because I was excited to try again. The third test was also positive, but more obvious than the previous two. We were going to have a baby!
I had plans of how I would tell Kraig that I was expecting. A few months before I'd purchased a few baby items to wrap up and give him as a "surprise," but he'd practically been with me when I took the tests. No surprising him now. But I did get out the baby items (shoes and a bib that said something about Daddy) and give them to him before he headed to work. I'm pretty sure we were both glowing from excitement. I can't think of a better thrill!
Baby #2
Our hope was to be strategic in when this baby would be born. We live far away from our families and we live in the mountains, so we knew we didn't want a baby at a time that would impede our holiday travels or where the weather would prevent our family to come visit. My husband is also out-of-town several weeks in the summer, and I'm definitely not interested in having a baby by myself. So between December and February are good months for us to conceive, and between June and August. I went off birth control several months ago just to get my cycles regulated so that we could try between December and February. But I conceived in November. Both our babies have been conceived in November, actually. But something in me knew I was pregnant the moment it happened. I didn't feel funny, I don't have any symptoms, I just knew that we were pregnant. My period was set to start on Monday, December 6th, but I was too anxious to wait. I bought a two pack of regular pregnancy tests on Friday the 3rd. I took the first one Friday night, and I was convinced there was a faint line. Kraig agreed. So we waited and I took another Saturday morning. Still a faint line, but definitely stronger than the night before. I couldn't take the anticipation anymore, so I went to Target and bought two digital tests. There's nothing like the word "pregnant" on the screen to convince you. Saturday night I took the digital test, and it was positive. We're pregnant! I still had another digital left, so I took it Saturday morning just to make sure the previous three weren't flukes. It also said "pregnant." It may be a month earlier than we planned, but we are ecstatic! Kate, our firstborn, will have just turned two when this baby is born. Hopefully, she'll be potty trained and able to be Mommy's big helper.
We couldn't be more thrilled. I'm so excited to be pregnant again. It's especially neat to be pregnant at Christmas time and to think about what Mary must have gone through with Jesus. It's also a great reminder that I am so thankful I don't have to have a baby on the floor in a barn with a bunch of animals watching. I can't imagine what that must have been like.
Next up? How we told everyone and an update on how I'm feeling.
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