2015 Reflection

2015

What. A. Year!

I don’t know whether to classify this year as good or as a total doozy! We had so many blessings this year, but also so many challenges, trials, disappointments, changes, loss, and stress!
It started with a bang with a surprise pregnancy which led to us buying a lot for a new house. 
The loss of that pregnancy led to the search for a new job to be closer to the new house/where my family would be since I would no longer have an infant in the middle of a school year. After getting both jobs I had to make a very difficult decision choosing between the two (I know… hard life).
The spring was spent going back and forth with paperwork trying to legalize Bella moving in with us and getting our old house ready to sell. Obviously a blessing but a stressful time as well.
Then came selling a house. I NEVER want to do that again!! I don’t think I have ever seen Anthony more stressed dealing with the closing of the new house and the time frame for the old house. It didn’t help that the buyers were totally crazy and unrealistic!
When moving day came, the movers ruined every piece of furniture which was never resolved, and the very next week I started my new job.
After finding out we were pregnant again during the summer, I thought we experienced another loss in August. For the first 13 weeks, there was a roller coaster of not knowing if everything was normal or not. Finally after the 13 week mark, things smoothed out.
Anthony dealt with ups and downs at his new job and I fell into a rhythm with mine. We went through the transition of having Bella full time and adjusting to the new roles we were all playing.  Dealing with a teenage full time is WAY different than weekend duty. I kinda miss enjoying just the fun times, but I know long term this is the best solution.
Potty training was super stressful and I wasn’t sure we were going to survive. The move plus changing day cares really messed up any progress we had made.

But here we are at the beginning of 2016. We celebrated Christmas and Emi is on cloud 9 with her new bicycle, tablet, and Elsa dresses. She is fully potty trained (thank the Lord!!) and gone from baby to little girl over night! This summer we were barely putting together sentences and now she’s caring on full conversations.  We are expecting little man Piccolo in mid-March and everything seems perfect. His room is coming together and we’re down to 2 names.  Bella is living with us, has made new friends, and is doing well in school.  We are settled into our beautiful house that is still hard to believe is ours sometimes. I love my new job and have felt relatively little stress with the transition. There are things we miss about our old home/way of life, job, and child care, but all-in-all this change was way easier than if we had left our current situation to go to what we had. Bella talked about missing her friends the other day and I feel the same and the transition with Emi has been very hard (maybe more on me than her) but that’s the flow of life.  All-in-all this year has had more blessings than disasters so I guess this year will have to go in the good column. Hopefully 2016 will have less bumps and bruises and lives up to all of our expectations! Either way, I know it’ll work out just the way it’s supposed to!

Best of 2015

January 2015

February 2015

February 2015

February 2015

March 2015

March 2015

April 2015

April 2015

April 2015

May 2015

May 2015

May 2015

July 2015

July 2015

July 2015

July 2015

Moving day July 2015

August 2015

August 2015

September 2015

October 2015

October 2015

December 2015

30 weeks- 9 to go!!!

30 weeks with Emi

30 weeks baby boy

How far along? 30 weeks- 9 left!! Thank goodness!

Size of baby? The bump app says the size of a cucumber

Heartbeat? 131 BPM at the last apt

Total weight gain/loss? With Emi I had only gained 14. I didn’t weigh today and honestly I haven’t weighted in a few weeks. They’ll make me weigh at the dr next week so I’ll know then. I think at the last dr appointment it was still under 20.

Maternity clothes? Got some cute stuff for Christmas including a new pair of jeans that fit well. I probably won’t buy much more until the end since it’s on the end stretch.

Stretch marks?  Not that I’ve noticed. Lots of blue veins though. And of course Emi left behind some on my hips.

Sleep? Sleep is getting a little harder between the crazy dreams, heart burn, restlessness, and leg cramps. Emi has learned to sleep in which is nice, but I don’t really benefit from it at this point.  

Best moment this week? I finally got the nursery organized and ready to add stuff. Everything that had to go is gone and now it’s kinda a blank slate and what I do have is organized.

Movement? Lots of moments. It’s like to moves to one side and that whole side of my stomach sticks out in a hard bump until he goes back down.

 
Food cravings?  Water and salad.

Gender predictions? Boy. It’s either Thomas Anthony or Eli Thomas at this point. I have an issue with Jrs or kids that have the II or III at the end of their name. It’s a hang up I have and I can’t get past it yet!

What I miss:  Sleep! I napped a lot over break which was nice, but I don’t sleep well at night at this point.

What I'm looking forward to:  Started planning for my shower which made it sorta exciting! Didn’t realize how few weekends are between now and then so that freaked me out, but we picked a date for a shower.

 
How are you feeling? Other than the sleep issue I don’t feel too terrible. I’m not comfortable, but that’s only going to get worse! I don’t have too many complaints so I guess I’m in good shape!

29 weeks

29 weeks with Emi

How far along?  29 weeks

Size of baby? The bump app says the size of an acorn squash. 

Heartbeat? Last week at the appointment it was 131

Total weight gain/loss? 

Maternity clothes? Yep. Thankfully I kept most of my pants so I just have had to buy some tops and dresses. 

Stretch marks? Just the 2 on my hips from Emi still. 

Sleep? Definitely uncomfortable! I toss and turn a lot because after awhile on one side my legs and hips will start to hurt. Plus laying down brings on acid reflux! 

Best moment this week? Spending Christmas with my family. 

Movement? He NEVER stops! And it's kinda painful. I feel like he's punching and jabbing all over the place. Plus he gets the hiccups pretty frequently! 

Food cravings?  Maybe chips and dips. It's not like a crazy need, but I have wanted some chips and dips lately. 

Gender predictions? Looking back at the posts from last time around we had apparently already picked the name! haha. And I thought we took forever last time. I have started putting his room together, but we're still stuck between 2 different names. 

What I miss:  Being able to do things myself. I put up the Christmas stuff this week and most of it I was able to do, but I had to wait to carry up the tree and ornament tub since it was too heavy. I also have the itch to organize the garage. That's the only room in the house that was never put together during the move. It wouldn't be too hard if I could do it the way I wanted. I just want to be able to get to all the toys and tools when I want without climbing over things. Guess I'll just have to wait until summer. 

What I'm looking forward to:  I was just told to start picking a date for a shower. I didn't realize that there weren't very many weekends between now and March. Yikes! So I spent some time finishing up a registry, cleaning out the nursery, and picking out decorations. It's getting real I guess!

How are you feeling? Acid reflux is beating me up! They say that means the baby will have a lot of hair. It was true with Emi, so I guess we'll see. I also have NO energy these days! I guess it doesn't really help that I've been fighting off a cold too! Speaking of, time for a nap! 

27 Weeks- Hello 3rd trimester! Finally!27

27 weeks with baby boy

27  weeks with Emi

How far along? 27 weeks

Size of baby? The bump app says the size of a Rutabaga (no idea what that is!)

Heartbeat? 153 BPM at the last apt. We go back next Tuesday

Total weight gain/loss? Did not weigh this morning! With Emi I had only gained 8. I know I've definitely passed that up! It is Christmas though and I've had lots of sweets! 

Maternity clothes? Yep! But today I am wearing a Christmas shirt that I bought in a bigger size. The torso part is fine but the arms are lace and they are huge!! Like dangling off. Oh well...

Stretch marks? I haven't noticed any yet, but I have definitely not been as good at oiling up! Maybe I'll start since I'm on the 3rd stretch now!

Sleep? Sleep isn't too bad. I am still having CRAZY dreams! Once this week I woke up and yelled at Anthony because I thought the dream was real. He didn't wake up though! Haha. Anthony says I snore. He keeps pandora music on to drown me out! Oh well. He snores every night so his isn't temporary! 

Best moment this week? This week we had our first Christmas party. Emi had a little bit of tunnel vision, but it was still fun seeing her enjoy Christmas time. 

Movement? He has had the hiccups a lot this week. Emi had them too and I wasn't a fan then and I'm not a fan now! You don't notice it at first. And then all of a sudden it feels like you have to pee because the constant bump. He's not moving around as much though. Guess his room is getting a little tighter. 

Food cravings? Not really. In fact, I haven't even wanted milk like I did at first. I have wanted McDonald's breakfast lately, but I think that's just because we don't live by one anymore so I never have it. 

Gender predictions? Boy. At this point last time we had finally decided on a name! Not this time! We're still down to 2 and if Anthony keeps his side of the agreement he'll be Thomas Anthony. Anthony keeps calling him #2 which is terrifying! He'll be called Thomas if he wins. No Tommy, Tony, Tom or any other shortened version. Just Thomas. 

What I miss:  Stupid again, but wine! Holiday parties just aren't the same when everyone else is having holiday cocktails and you're drinking Dr. Pepper... When I was pregnant with Emi I went to the work Christmas party. I remember saying I'd never do that again pregnant. Now I remember why!

What I'm looking forward to: Going to start working on the nursery while I'm on break. Have a couple of Emi's decor things to get out and then I'll start setting it up. I'm also going to finalize a registry. We don't need a lot, but we have no boy stuff and of course I learned with Emi we should stock pile baby socks!

How are you feeling? During the day I'm fine. Around 5:00 I feel like a bus has hit me. My back hurts like crazy!! Glad we're down to 12 weeks, but at the same time that seems like a life time to go!

26 weeks

26 weeks with Emi

26 weeks with little man

How far along?  26 weeks! 

Size of baby? The bump app says the size of a head of lettuce.

Heartbeat? 153 at the last appointment 

Total weight gain/loss? +15. Gross!!

Maternity clothes?  Yep! I can still wear some regular tops, but I don’t want to stretch them out and have nothing to wear afterwards.   

Stretch marks? None that I have noticed, but I haven’t been as good at using the lotions or creams. Lots of blue veins going everywhere though.  

Sleep? Leg cramps are back which makes it hard to sleep. Busted out the body pillow this week (Anthony’s favorite) and that helped a little bit with comfort.

Movement? This child moves WAYYYY more than Emi ever did. I don’t think he stops which makes me nervous seeing as Emi never stops moving now.

Food cravings? Not really. I crave water I guess. And I could eat Mexican food every day, but I could do that not pregnant too.

Gender predictions? Still a boy. We’re at a deadlock with the name. Anthony and I have an agreement. If he keeps his end of the deal, then his name will be Thomas Anthony (the second I guess…). If he doesn’t keep his end of the deal then the name will be Eli Thomas. Personally I really want Eli Thomas. I like the meaning better, but the agreement is important to me enough that if he keeps it, I’ll give in.

What I miss: Sweet tea. Whenever I drink sweet tea I get horrible heart burn or acid reflux or whatever it is! It’s almost instant!

What I'm looking forward to: Celebrating Christmas with my family. Emi is so excited about her bicycle. We have a couple Christmas parties before Christmas so I’m worried she might be disappointed that she doesn’t get the bicycle then, but I know she’ll be over the moon when she sees it on Christmas morning.

I'll also start working on the nursery during break. I have most everything that was girl stuff out. I just need to get rid of a few more things and unpack the bedding I have.

 How are you feeling?  I already feel like this child is in unwanted places! I feel like he’s lower than Emi was, but I also feel like my organs are coming in my throat!

Sweet tea makes me want to die which is sad because I love sweet tea. Zantac is necessary if I drink tea!

I am glad that there are only 13 weeks left! Since I had a c-section last time, they’ll schedule this one week in advance to try to avoid any surprises/emergencies.

23 Weeks

23 weeks with little man. Emi wouldn't let
me take a pic without her. 

22 weeks with Emi. I guess I skipped 23 last time. 

How far along?  23 weeks! I skipped 22 weeks on accident

Size of baby? The bump app says the size of a grapefruit!

Heartbeat? 166 at the last appointment, but we go next Tuesday to get new info. 

Total weight gain/loss? +11

Maternity clothes?  Yep! I don't even like to wear regular tops anymore because I don't want my non-maternity clothes to be stretched out when we're done!

Stretch marks? Just the ones left over from Emi. 

Sleep? The leg cramps are back. Along with the acid re-flux and then this week my knee were keeping me up because they were aching all night. I feel 90!

Movement? I had my phone resting on my stomach the other night and he kicked it off. I'd say the movements are very noticeable now!

Food cravings? Salty things like crackers. 

Gender predictions? Still a boy. Still no name. Anthony has one he wants and I have another one. We'll see if a compromise can be made. For now we're not really worrying about it. He'll have a name before he's born. 

What I miss: 

What I'm looking forward to: Thanksgiving break! I just found out my day care is open Monday and Tuesday, so I'm getting 2 days to do me things! Of course I'm excited about spending time with Emi too. We're going to go see the Peanuts movie. 

How are you feeling? Not terrible. The nausea is gone thankfully. Now I just get all the other unpleasant symptoms back like acid re-flux, leg cramps, and just the general discomfort, but oh well. It comes with the territory. 

21 weeks

21 weeks. Guess I didn't take 21 weeks with Emi.

How far along?  21 weeks! 

 

Size of baby? The bump app says the size of a pomegranate!

Heartbeat? 166 at the last appointment 

Total weight gain/loss? +10 With Emi I had only gained 2 pounds at this point! OMG!

Maternity clothes?  Yep. My mother-in-law made me some SUPER cute new dresses that I can wear with boots!  

Stretch marks? Just the ones left over from Emi. 

Sleep? I have been more restless and tired this week. Definitely going to bed before 9 most nights, and then either dreams, or bathroom trips, or just restlessness keeps me stirring most of the night. Plus I’m reaching the uncomfortable stage while sleeping. One side goes numb so I’ll flip to the other and then repeat all night. Long way to go for this nonsense already!

Best moment this week? Trick-or-treating with Emi. Everything is fun with her right now. I also got to hear her say her ABCs by herself and count to 15. I can’t wait to see all of the things she tries to teach the baby.

Movement? The movement became more obvious this week. I still don’t think you could notice from the outside, but after dinner he’s very active.  

Food cravings? 

Gender predictions? Still a boy. Still at a stalemate with names. I like Eli Thomas or Thomas Eli. Anthony wants Thomas Anthony (his name), but he’d go by Thomas, not Anthony.

What I miss: Caffeine. I’m trying realllly hard to only drink 1 drink per day! It’s hard!

What I'm looking forward to: Thanksgiving break! I can’t wait for a week to veg!

How are you feeling? Not too bad. A little dizzy when I get up too fast. And uncomfortable at night. But I think the nausea has subsided for now. My prescription ran out and I haven’t refilled it, but it hasn’t been too bad. It was bad the first couple days when I ran out, but now I don’t notice it as much.