26 Weeks

How Far Along: Super slacker alert!  I was so late with the 25 week updated and never took a picture, so I am skipping it all together and just doing this 26 week update.  

Total Weight Gain:  I gained a few in the past 2 weeks and am up about 15 lbs overall. 

Symptoms:  Peeing.  I have to pee all the time.  I go then immediately need to go again! Getting full really quickly.  Whenever I try to eat a big meal I get so stuffed and it feels gross so I try to keep it to smaller more frequent meals.  

Maternity Clothes? Yup!  Although the summer is good for non maternity dresses.  The dress in the picture isn't a maternity dress but it works well because of how loose the material is. 

New Baby Prep: I have been agonizing over what double stroller to get for a while.  I liked the Baby Jogger City Select even before we had Ellie so I did some more research on it and like how many different positions you can put 2 kids in.  I found somebody selling a lightly used one locally so we ended up pulling the trigger and getting it.  It came with a lot of accessories, so even though it still wasn't cheap, it was a lot less than what we would have paid if we bought it all new!  It is so hard to know what you will need/use with 2 kids before they are here, but I like how this stroller can go between a single and a double (we have already started using it with just Ellie and it handles pretty good).  I am kind of spoiled with the handling of our BOB jogging stroller with is so easy to push around pretty much any terrain.  

Names...this one is going to be a lot tougher this time around.  We had decided on Ellie's first name and middle name (Elizabeth Claire) even before we knew she was a girl.  This time around there really isn't the same feeling of "yup this is definitely the name" although there are a few front runners. I think I like one and Brian likes one but we both like each other's so I guess we can't go wrong either way.  

It is really hard to nest when we aren't in our own house...I have started picking out things like rugs, wall decorations, etc, but since the house won't be done until November and the baby is coming in September it seems silly to order things now just to have them sit in our basement.  The house renovations are moving along...slowly but surely!  They are putting in the foundation this week and it is neat to see the outline of the new house to get an idea of how the spaces will look. We are most excited for when they do the framing because that will really show the spaces.  

We had kids day at my work yesterday so I brought Ellie in for a few hours.  It was jungle themed this year and she had a really great time!

24 Weeks

Time for another bump comparison!  The first photo is me this week and the second one is me with Ellie at 24 weeks.  The bump is definitely bigger this time around (even though the picture is smaller)

How Far Along: Slow again this week! I am actually 24 weeks 6 days as I write this, maybe sometime I will catch up!

Total Weight Gain:  11 lbs overall, maybe 12

Symptoms:  Feeling really good!  I haven't been having many "symptoms" per say other than just knowing I am pregnant and feeling kicks.  I hope things continue this way, although I am starting to have difficulty bending over.  

Maternity Clothes? Most of the time.  There are a few stretchy non maternity tops and shorts I wear, but a lot of the time they just don't look right.  My belly button is really starting to pop and I think in the next week or 2 you will be able to see it poking through my shirt. 

Had to share the below video of Ellie...she wanted me to put this grocery bag over her head so she could walk around like a monster :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wtiebg3tdI

Ellie is doing awesome!  Still doesn't comprehend that a new baby is coming but I work on little things like tucking in her baby doll and being gentle with Winnie.  I am getting nervous about how much the new baby will impact her, luckily we will still be living with my mom when the new baby comes so she shouldn't be at a loss for love between me, Brian and grandma!

23 Weeks

How Far Along: I am so slow.  I am actually 23 weeks 6 days as I write this...for some reason I thought I posted a 23 week post already!

Total Weight Gain:  11 lbs overall

Symptoms:  Lots of kicking, very thirsty.  I drank some orange juice the other day and I wouldn't say it was heartburn, but it definitely didn't sit as easily as orange juice used to. 

Maternity Clothes? Absolutely. A friend of mine is getting married in late August when I will be 8 months pregnant and I recently have found the following website that is for borrowing maternity dresses! Now I can try a fancy maternity dress that I don't have to buy! http://www.minefornine.com/

Cravings: I think I am going to remove this section because it is always the same!  Ice cream and lemonade!

I am at that stage of pregnancy that I like to call the "belly stare" stage.  This is the point where your belly has popped enough that people can't help but look at it when they talk to you.  I get it.  I like to see how pregnant women's bellies are coming along too, but it is awkward like a "staring at my boobs" sort of level sometimes.  But everybody loves a good baby belly, right?  The additional weird part is that my belly button has started to go outie, but like just the top part.  If I am wearing a tight enough shirt you can see it poking through.

I had my monthly OB/GYN appointment last week and things are looking good.  She even did the outside tape measurement thing for the first time this pregnancy and said I am measuring well too!  This was the test last time around that gave them a heads up that Ellie was measuring behind.  I do have to schedule my glucose test soon though, fun!   

This pregnancy has been flying by!  I can't believe there will be another baby here in a few months.  We have been so busy with the house addition that we forget about the new baby addition!  This is what our house/backyard currently looks like (luckily we are staying at my mom's during this).

The first one you can see that they chopped off a piece of our house (where the foundation used to be)

In this picture you can see the nice hole they dug that takes up most of our backyard.  This is the size of the addition.  It is fun to watch the progress, but it is going slower than I would like and the new end date is November 10th, and yup, that is right - I am due September 29th! Fun.  New baby will be chilling in the dinning room at my mom's house with Brian and I for her first few months, at least my mom will be there to help!

22 Weeks/ Ellie is 18 Months!

How Far Along: Ok technically I am 23 weeks today but I am a slacker so I am about a week behind.  The bump looks bigger in person...this shirt is a little loose!

Total Weight Gain:  10 lbs overall

Symptoms:  Kicks!  Loving the big kicks where I can see my belly move from the outside.  A few days I have needed to slow things down a bit.  When I have been running around all day I tend to get a little crampy so I need to just sit down and drink water and relax (easier said than done with a toddler!)

We were down in PA visiting Brian's family this past weekend.  It was a lot of fun but being off my normal schedule for food I got a little backed up (sorry for the TMI) happily things have worked their way out (thank you Kashi Go Lean Crunch) but it was touch and go for a while there ;)  Ellie got to see her Great Grandma down there who is 98 years old so that is always awesome.  Granny and Grandpa hit up the yard sales and pretty much got every type of kid toy you can get.  Ellie was so entertained by all the toys all weekend - it was great.  

Maternity Clothes? Absolutely

Cravings: Lemonade!  Soft serve.  I am pretty sure these will eternally be my pregnancy cravings!  

Ellie is now 18 months!  This is a really fun age as she is understanding so much and has more words now (I would say maybe 15-20) and she can repeat (or try to) words back to us.  She loves to play with her cousins and explore everything (which usually means really big messes).  We have taken her to a bunch of places so far this summer: the beach, brian's triathlon, the zoo, etc and she is so much more interactive with things than she used to be.  

Here is a little Brian when he was younger and Ellie comparison, I think they look pretty similar!