Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!

As we are on the verge of 2011, I think of all the things the new year might bring. A new family member, joy, change, sleeplessness, happiness... probably more blizzards, lol! I look forward to all the good times ahead, and pray that the hard times will be few and far between.

We aren't doing much for New Years Eve. We're having a blizzard right now (which I was hopeful would miss us since we were supposed to get it two days ago). We ordered Chinese food for supper and are being lazy and watching TV. We're perfectly fine with that. I plan to go to bed soon, and I'm putting my cell phone on silent so I won't be awakened by the inevitable "Happy new year!" texts that will come at midnight.

Today I became an auntie for the 5th time. Another beautiful baby girl - Jaclyn Rose. This means that Isaac is STILL the only grandson out of six grandchildren. We were kind of hoping for a boy this time, just so Isaac could have a playmate. But we're very happy to have another niece! Welcome to the world, Jaclyn!

Now on to OUR baby... :)

Our first prenatal appointment is on January 3rd. This is a far cry from the last time I was pregnant. With Isaac, I had a family doctor who delivers babies. Since I had a c-section last time, I had to switch to an OB/GYN for this pregnancy. Our old doctor saw us at 5 weeks, 9 weeks, and 13 weeks. Last time we saw the doctor three times already by the time we'll see this new doctor once. However, I'm fine with this. Anyone who's ever had a baby knows that the first few appointments are just about hearing the heartbeat and, as long as everything sounds fine, they send you on your merry little way. I'll be sure to update the blog after our appointment.

On January 3rd, I'll be 12w5d. Should be far enough along to hear the heartbeat! But along with this knowledge comes a plethora of worries. Like that we won't be able to find a heartbeat, or something else will go wrong. I just don't think I'd be strong enough to handle it if something happened to the baby. I try not to think too much about things like that though, or I'll go crazy.

As it is, I know that baby is alive and kicking because of the massive amounts of nausea I've had to endure lately. I hate morning sickness, but it does tell me that I am indeed pregnant and baby is growing. I think the nausea and vomiting is harder for me to handle at this stage in my pregnancy because I know it should be going away now-ish. Morning sickness generally only lasts through the first trimester, which for me is over in about a week. However, I almost feel as though it's just starting to get worse. It doesn't matter what I eat, I get a terrible aftertaste in my mouth, so I've been going through breath mints like they're, well... candy. Lots of food smells make me want to toss my cookies, too. Even just opening the fridge makes me gag. It doesn't smell bad, per se, it's just a smell that gets to me. And if there are leftovers of any kind in there that give off any type of odor (ex: pizza), forget it. I hold my breath when I open the fridge. Also, the change in temperature when I go outside makes me gag. I'm not sure why, but that's how it works for me. I do a lot of gagging these days. I am looking forward to this part of the pregnancy being over.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Questions Answered

When people find out that someone is having a baby, it seems as though everyone has the same questions for them. At least, that is what I've noticed. So I thought I'd write a post answering those common questions that I've answered 100 times in the two months since I've gotten pregnant. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind answering them over and over again. I love talking about my baby and our future plans (most of the time). So don't feel bad if you're one of the 100 that have asked. I don't find it annoying... yet. :)

Do you want a boy or a girl?
Since our first baby was a boy, people always want to know if we'll be disappointed if we have another boy. The answer is no, of course not. We'd love to have a girl this time because we want the experience of raising both a boy and a girl, but if God decides to give us two boys, we'll be perfectly fine with that. All we want is a healthy baby - cliche, I know, but true.

Are you going to have any more kids after this one?
Probably not. Although I'm not totally ready to commit to that answer just yet. We'll see how it goes. If we do have another, it wouldn't be until Isaac is in school. As James said, "We could always have that one baby who's so much younger than it's siblings that everyone wonders if it was an accident." LOL.

Are you going to buy a bigger house?
Not right now. We probably won't move for another four or five years. We're perfectly happy in our house right now. I used to think that each kid needed their own bedroom because that's how I grew up. James, however, grew up in a small, three-bedroom trailer house with his family of six. He never had his own room until his 3rd or 4th year in college. Kids can share rooms. I am concerned about having an infant and a toddler in the same room - that they'll wake each other up (mainly the little one crying and waking Isaac up). But it will work. People do it all the time. Plus the baby will be in a bassinet in our room for a while right away. Also, we've put so much work into our house that it feels like it's a part of us as a family - part of our identity. To be totally honest, I will be a little sad to leave it.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

My Big Announcement

Ok, here it is.

I'm pregnant!!

Baby #2 is due on his/her big brother's birthday, July 13th! We were a bit surpised by this one, not because we weren't trying, but because it happened on our first cycle of trying. When we were trying to get pregnant the first time, it took us 6 cycles. We decided we wanted our kids to be 2-3 years apart in age, so we started trying in October. We figured if it happened right away, they'd be 2 years apart, and if it didn't happen for 6 or 7 or 8 months, that would be ok too.

We're thrilled! It may be hard to have two little kids only two years apart, but once they get a bit older I think it will be great! They'll be interested in the same type of stuff at the same time (or close). For example, if we were to go to Disney World, they would both be into it rather than one being too old for it, or one being too young. Also, my hope is that they'll be close - and by close, I mean like friends.

Here's how we found out:
I wasn't temping and charting like I was last time, but I was using ovulation tests. I started using them around cycle day 14 (I know from last time that I ovulate later than average, like day 18 or 19). I also get ovulation pain, so I pretty much know exactly when it's happening. I am pretty in tune with my body. So anyway, on the evening of Monday, November 1st, for some odd reason I felt this very strong compulsion to take a pregnancy test. It was totally stupid because I was only 8 dpo (days past ovulation), which is way too early to get a positive test. Plus it was at night, and you're supposed to test with your first morning urine because the pregnancy hormone is more concentrated. I knew I was going to get a negative result, but I tested anyway. I waited about 10 minutes before I even looked at it because I wasn't expecting anything. When I looked at it, I initally saw nothing. I looked very close, put it closer to the light, tilted it this way and that, and I'll be damned if I didn't think I maybe, possibly saw the very faintest line. I wasn't convinced. I thought it must be an evaporation line or something. So I brought it to J and said "Do you see a line?" He did the same things as me, looked at it under the light from all sorts of different angles. I was surprised when he said, "Hmm... maybe." Neither of us were sure though. I shrugged it off as a fluke and told J that I'd test again in the morning.

So the next morning came, and I got the same result. Maybe a line, but not sure. This is when I started thinking that I could actually be pregnant! So after work on Tuesday I stopped at Kmart (I don't usually shop there, in fact, I hate Kmart, but it was close and I wanted to know!) and bought a Clear Blue Digital. No ifs, ands or buts. This test would give it to me straight - pregnant or not pregnant. So I ran to the bathroom as soon as I got home, and used it. Low and behold - PREGNANT! I showed J when he got home. We were both shocked! And excited, of course!