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!  

21 Weeks

How Far Along: 21 Weeks, 1 day

Total Weight Gain:  9 lbs overall

Symptoms:  Lots of kicks!  Brian felt one on the outside last week and that was awesome! My hunger level has gone down surprisingly.  I feel like this happened to me last pregnancy, I start to get un-hungry, like full really easily.  Most nights I don't want to eat more than a salad or some peanut butter toast for dinner, but maybe this is because I snack throughout the day.  

Also I find that if i get up from sitting or laying down to fast that I get some cramps - I am wondering if this is because the baby is dropping/moving quickly. 

Maternity Clothes? You bet.  I bought a new top yesterday too. 

Cravings: Lemonade!

I am starting to really wonder how things will go once the baby is here...Ellie is in a very strong "mommy" phase at the moment and wants to be held A LOT of the time. I am having visions of her being upset that I can't hold her all the time once the baby is here.  

Also I think I have figured out what the theme of the nursery will be!  I think it will be nautical with fuchsia and navy.  I imagine light pink walls with navy and fuchsia accents and pictures.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures that I have seen:

Next Appointment: Normal OB appointment June 4th.  

19/20 Weeks (because I am a slacker)

So since I have delayed my 19 week post for so long I am just going to combine weeks 19 & 20 since I will be 20 weeks tomorrow.

How Far Along: 19 Weeks, 6 Days 

Total Weight Gain:  Haven't weighed myself lately, but judging by my weight at the OB last week I would say I am up 9-10 lbs overall. 

Sleep: I wake up a lot and usually get up once to pee, but I haven't had the insomnia stretches that I was having earlier in the pregnancy.  I do have allergies/a cold now that are messing with my sleep currently. 

Symptoms:  I get winded pretty easily.  I have been feeling some pretty decent kids from the little lady which is nice, but they are not quite at the point that I know I can feel them if I do something a certain way.  With Ellie I knew that if I laid on my back at the end of the day I would get some kicks, but I don't know how far along I was when this would happen. 

At the MFM anatomy scan last week we not only learned that baby #2 is a girl, but we also learned that she is growing well.  Several of the measurements show her Gestational Age just slightly over what my due date would say so that is awesome.  I just hope the growth continues well.  I was comparing my current 19/20 week picture to some of my pictures with Ellie and I look about the same this week as I did at about 24/25 weeks last time around: 

Maternity Clothes? Yup!  I may need to go and get some more...I tried on a few non maternity dresses and things that I figured I could use this summer and they do not look very flattering!  

Cravings: Lemonade.  I could drink lemonade non stop by I try to do only 1 non water/milk beverage a day to keep calories under control. 

Next Appointment: Normal OB appointment June 4th.  

This pregnancy seems to by flying by, way different than my first one.  I am grateful that I won't need to go out and buy many things but I am also starting to get a bit nervous that we will have the baby far before our house renovation is done and then it will just be insanity!

It's a.......

18 Weeks/Ellie 17 Months

I am pretty behind on my posts already so I am combining the baby #2 post with Ellie's monthly post!

Total Weight Gain:  9lbs overall 

Sleep: I have actually been sleeping well lately (knock on wood) maybe getting up at like 5 am to pee but sleeping through until then for the most part!

Symptoms:  Not much of anything at this point...I am starting to have trouble bending over for things.  I have been feeling kicks for a week or two now - not very consistent yet but I get a bunch all at once.  I love the kicks!

Maternity Clothes? Yup!  Definitely the pants and a mix for shirts.  I just started to get nice in New England and I am excited about breaking out the flowy skirts and dresses.  

Cravings: Ice Cream

Next Appointment: May 4th - Anatomy scan with the MFM!  

Ellie's Turn!

Ellie has been popping out new words all the time.  She can say up, shoe, apple, no, pap-pap (my grandfather) woof woof and other animal noises.  And a bunch of other ones I am forgetting!  If there is a lot going on, like we are at music class, she is silent, but then we get back in the car and she is blabbering away in her own jibber jabber or singing.  

She eats so much food!  When she wakes up I will give her milk and maybe some fruit. Then my mom has her breakfast and Ellie wants some toast or bagel from that.  Then Brian eats and she wants some of his eggs!  She is like a bottomless pit!

She is really steady on her feet now and can move pretty fast!  When she breaks out into a run I have to run after her myself.  She can climb ladders now and we are still working on safely coming down stairs.  

She still doesn't really understand that a new baby is coming, but hopefully she will understand as we get closer to the due date.  

Ellie on Easter

 Playing around with the camera