29 Weeks (and The Glucose Test from Hades)

It's been a busy few weeks with Christmas, New Years, family visiting, and Samuel and I coming down with an icky case of bronchitis. Things might be calming down now?

We're well into the third trimester now, which is exciting! My heartburn and constipation have remained steady, and I've gotten the occasional leg cramp, but other than that things seem to be going well. :-)

I had blood work done at my appointment 2 weeks ago along with my glucose test and getting the flu shot and tDap. It was pretty much the worst thing ever. Not because I can't handle a few needles and an orange soda, either.

It really all started off fine. Other than the fact that I gained an inordinate amount of weight (7 pounds in a month. Yikes. Blaming that on a baby growth spurt!), all of my other stats looked good and baby was measuring right on par. I chugged my sweet drink and got my two shots like a champ. No one likes those things, but they're really not so bad. I waited around for my hour to let the drink digest and actually enjoyed getting to sit peacefully and read a bit of Jane Austen without a kid or cat crawling into my lap.

Then it came time for the blood work. The normal phlebotomist was RIGHT THERE, which was the kicker for this whole ordeal, but she had some type of girl in training helping her (I have no clue what her title was - she came in to see me last time with the nurse practitioner, so maybe she's training for that?) so she could process her lab stuff, and so she let her draw my blood since, as the training girl said, "I have big juicy veins." Thanks.

So she sticks me, and it hurts worse that normal but I"m like whatever. Then she takes it out and sticks me again. And starts trying to draw blood. Then she says to the normal lady, "I'm not getting anything. Is this normal?" Meanwhile I'm closing my eyes and clenching my jaw and trying not to punch her in the face with my free hand...

The normal lady turns around and says, "Whoa! Give me that! It's gonna blow!"

THAT makes me feel good.

(Eric explained to me later that she meant the needle went all the way through my vein, and blood was in fact leaking out both sides. Yikes.)

So she gets the needle out and puts a tourniquet on my arm - once again, making me feel GREAT here, people - and then puts some ice, etc. on it.

5 minutes later, they seem to be okay with everything, but then they're like, "Oh, we didn't get any blood, so we are going to have to do your other arm."

The normal lady sticks me and I barely feel it, thank goodness. All the while my right arm still feels like it's about to fall off. She gets what she needs and I start getting ready to go, and then I realize that I feel funny. Like, really funny. And, sure enough, I passed out. Well, pretty much. I was still conscious the whole time I think, but I couldn't see or hear anything really...

Anyway, I came to and got some water (I hadn't had any for more than an hour because of the glucose test) and they let me sit there for a while until my strength came back. 15 minutes later I was essentially back to normal, so I was able to go home and have some lunch and rest before running my errands and such the rest of the day.

What REALLY killed me was that, while I was regaining my composure, the training girl had the nerve to say, "that's why we don't usually like people to get the flu shot on the same day they do blook work." Um, seriously???

So, yeah,  she's not on my list of favorite people. Haha.

The good news is, I don't have diabetes, no where close to it. I am slightly anemic, and do still have a nice bruise on my arm 2 weeks later. Once I get my pictures uploaded, I'll add that to the post. It was about as bad if not worse than when I had my blood taken during labor last time and then had the blood pressure cuff put over it.

Anyway, that story was longer than I meant it to be.

A few other quick notes:
We pretty much have what we need for baby I think. We got a new monitor for Christmas, along with a new diaper back and a baby carrier. There's a few small things we still need to get and a LOT that needs to be set up, but at least we are pretty good stuff wise. :-)

Baby should be around 15-16" long now and 2.5-3 pounds!

I've gained a ridiculous 22-23 pounds. I still think a lot of it is muscle. Even though I'm carrying higher, I'm not particularly bigger than last time.

I think I'm about done running, though I may change my mind. The muscle I pulled during the 5K keeps getting irritated any time I try, or at least it did last week and the week before. Lesson learned about running too fast.

I've done a lot of cycling and stair-mastering and elliptical-ing though, along with weight lifting, so I think I should be able to maintain a pretty good fitness level without it. It's probably better for my bladder anyway.

We still haven't found a name we love, though there is a name that I think we are going to end up with. I don't see Eric enough these days to really talk about it. We still have a couple of months though. :-)

I've been sleeping pretty well, but it is getting harder to turn over at night, etc. I'm starting to look forward to laying on my belly again!

I haven't had any major cravings or aversions lately, just drinking a lot of milk to balance out my heartburn. Haha. I am hungry a LOT, so I'm trying really hard to eat more fruits and veggies when my stomach is growling now that Christmas is over. No more 7 pound gains! (To be fair, I remember a month where I gained 6-7 with Samuel too about the same time, so it really was probably just a growth spurt).

Anyway, this might be my longest post ever! Samuel is about to get up from nap, so I better sign off. :-) Just a few more weeks!!

27 Weeks!

I'm attempting to post from my phone because, let's face it, I'm horrible about making it upstairs to the computer!

So by a lot of people's standards we are now in the 3rd trimester! Woo! Baby boy is moving a ton. In fact, he literally turned flips (or did something that felt like it) for the entire Sunday school hour of church this morning. It was a *little* distracting! His foot or knee or something along those lines hangs out right around my belly button most of the time. It's really fun to push on it. Even if he's sleeping, he will usually push back. :)

He's been getting the hiccups a lot lately, which always catches me off guard. And he still likes to have the occasional party on my bladder. 😳 I don't always appreciate that so much! Haha.

Supposedly he's now roughly 2 lbs and the size of a cauliflower (14-15 inches). I can often feel him on both sides of my stomach at the same time, so he's definitely got some length on him!

I've been doing pretty well energy wise etc. I've been having the same occasional pain on my lower right side when I walk that I had with Samuel. I can usually work through it, but it's pretty annoying.

I've still been working out a ton, but am gradually switching to the elliptical more. I'm thinking I may not run myself into labor this time. Even though it makes me feel like a crazy awesome athlete, it's *probably* better for my body (and my bladder) if I lay off... We will see though!

I guess the only real issue I've had lately is being overly emotional. I may or may not have cried for a good hour the other day, mainly because my belly is big (which I know is a great thing - my baby is growing! - but I just felt really huge that day. Logic means nothing). It didn't help that some guy asked me how many babies were in there and told me there was no way I was making it til March. Thanks, dude.

Anyway, I've been sleeping well - only getting up once a night if at all. Heartburn is still an issue, but I'm surviving it. My glucola test is Tuesday. I'm assuming that will go on, but I'm *slightly* concerned since it's Christmas time and I have pretty much subsisted on sugar for the last 3 weeks. We'll see though!

Oh, and baby boy is still nameless. We aren't even close. 😁

Anyway, I think that's about it for now. Let's see if this actually will post!!

25 Weeks!

It's hard to believe we're already 6 months in! Baby boy still doesn't have a name. I guess that's fine considering we have a few months still. I remember picking the name with Samuel and then thinking it was *forever* after that before anything else exciting happened. So I'm okay with a little suspense still. :-)

We have it narrowed down to 3 names, so I guess we're at least getting close?? :

Anyway, things have been relatively uneventful, which is how I like them! I ran a 5K Saturday and was quite a bit faster than I expected to be - almost a full 2 minutes faster than my previous preggo record (I finished in 27:15 when previously I had done 29:07 at about the same point in my pregnancy with Samuel). I was pretty proud of that!

I've been sleeping pretty well, with the exception of a LOT of wild and crazy dreams. Some are just funny, some are realllly weird (Think the movie "Inception"), and some are down right awful! But I'm at least usually aware they're dreams, so that's good. Last night, I dreamed someone anonymously sent us a huge package with 2 puppies in it for Samuel's Christmas present. I woke up horrified and pretty livid. Haha. I'm *super* glad that one wasn't true!

My weight gain is pretty on track. 16ish pounds I think? Obviously Thanksgiving didn't help that. Nor does Christmas baking. Or Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes. But I try to eat semi-healthy most of the time and I work out a lot soooo I'm hoping it will all work out in the end!

Baby boy is growing like a weed. Supposedly he's the size of a rutabaga this week (because I know how big that is??? Not). Basically he is 13-14 inches long and roughly a pound and a half. Assuming he's average. He moves a ton, though he isn't nearly as jerky as Samuel was. He likes to roll around a lot and move his elbow/knee (not sure which) slowly around my belly button which is weeeeird. One night he definitely got turned around and started kicking me in the bladder/butt for like an hour. Also really weird. Have you ever been kicked in the butt from the inside? Yeah, me neither! haha. Thankfully he got turned back around pretty quickly!

Let's see, what else? I'm not really craving anything in particular. My heartburn has been pretty gnarly a few nights. I've considered calling the OB to ask for some prilosec, but I don't think I'm quite there yet... I might bring it up at my next appointment though.

I have my glucose test on the 22nd... I'm hoping that goes well, or it might not be a very merry Christmas for me. Haha.

I have a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions still, but they aren't any worse/more frequent than they have been, so that's good.

Oh, and I hate maternity pants. And non maternity pants. And all pants period. THAT hasn't changed from my last pregnancy. I told Eric if we have a third, we need to time it so that it's due in like June/July and I can just wear dresses and skirts for the last 3 months.

Anyway, I guess that about sums it up for now. :-) I'll have to go back and add pictures once I get around to getting them off my phone. Until next time!

21 Weeks

So it's safe to say I'm slower to post this time around. :-)

Mainly because I was waiting until I had my ultrasound picture loaded onto the computer to put on the blog, and I only load pictures up about once a month. That's my excuse anyway!

But baby Yates #2 is officially a BOY! Which I suspected all along, but didn't want to assume. We're so excited to have another little wild man around the house! And Samuel is absolutely precious - He sings songs all the time about, "We are having a baby brother!" He pretends his teddy bears are babies and carries them under his shirt. Sometimes one is the mommy, one the daddy, one the "baby" and one the "baby brother." And before his nap today he asked to see my belly button, rubbed it gently ("because it's a baby") and sang ABCs to baby bro. Heart. Melting.

Baby boy is the about the size of a carrot/banana this week - 10.5" long and about 3/4 of a pound! He's moving around a ton, which I love! I will say that, though he moves a lot and I felt him earlier, I do feel like he's calmer overall in there than Samuel was. So maybe there's hope for a calm little child yet?? haha. Not that I would trade my Samuel and his energy for anything!

Pregnancy-wise, things have been going extremely smoothly! I definitely feel bigger than last time, but I've only gained 10ish pounds, so that's right on track.

Baby boy and I ran a 10K a couple of weeks ago. I was much slower than normal, but still managed under 10 minute miles even with a quick pee break (the route went right by my house. Score!).

I'm pretty much sleeping through the night these days, which is awesome.

I've had a little more round ligament pain than last time and a LOT more braxton hicks, though it could just be that I actually know what they are this time around.

I do have a lot of heartburn. That's not fun. And I still stay constipated. But I survive. I probably eat too much, but it's usually really small portions.

Anyway, there's the good, the bad, the ugly. Here's a few more of baby boy's ultrasound pics!

21 Weeks along! 

17 1/2 Weeks

It's hard to believe we will be finding out what this little baby is in just a few short days! Our lives have been so crazy the last few weeks, we've hardly had time to think about it! Between our typical day-to-day business, we've also ALL had the stomach bug and a cold at some point in the last 3 weeks, plus my parents visiting and lots of random outings on the weekends, etc.

Thankfully, little baby is super insistent on reminding us he or she is there. I get lots of kicks multiple times a day. And, unlike Samuel, this child has been way more acquiescent about kicking when Eric's around. We could even SEE the movement yesterday, through my shirt and everything.

Of course, this also makes a little nervous that this kid could be even MORE energetic than Samuel (is that possible?!?). We will love them anyway, of course. :-)

As far as running goes, I think I'm finally back in a groove. I'm trying not to compare myself to the last pregnancy too much - I think I'm probably slower. But I was able to run 6+ miles without stopping earlier this week, and, assuming everything goes well, I'm planning to run the Ardmore 10K next Saturday. Eek! Considering that's over 6 miles, I'm trying to be realistic and just plan on finishing. I'd love to do under 10 minute miles, but if not, it won't be the end of the world. Considering the rough start I had to this pregnancy, though, I think finishing will be enough. :-)
I've also been doing a weight lifting class once a week or so, which is different from last time. I may take up cycling or swimming later on, or at least that's my tentative plan. I at least want to keep the weights up the whole time so as not to lose any muscle mass. We will see what happens, though, since I'm still fairly new to lifting.

While most things have been fairly similar to my pregnancy with Samuel, I think the biggest change this time around is how quickly I've been showing. I'm getting a little nervous that this kid might take after it's father and be a 10 pounder! I haven't really gained any  more weight - we will see for sure on Tuesday, but I'm guessing 6-8 pounds? - but my belly is getting more obvious by the hour I think! Anyway, we will see how he or she is measuring on Tuesday. I'm excited to see how everything is progressing!

Other than that, I guess there are no real updates. I haven't had any major cravings or aversions the last few weeks. My stomach has still been giving me problems here and there, but with the stomach bugs on top of pregnancy, I'm not that surprised. I'm sleeping pretty well, though usually waking up once a night or so. I'm a little grouchy at times, but usually just when I'm tired. I actually had amazing amounts of energy this week and got TONS done in addition to some really good work outs, so I'm hoping that keeps up!

I guess I'll have more to post next week after our anatomy scan. We're praying for a healthy, whole, happy baby in there! Can't wait to see!!

14 Weeks

14 Weeks and I'm finally starting to feel human again! I'm still a little tired and grouchy 

and really really constipated. (Sorry, that's TMI, but this is a private blog for my own memory, so I'm including it!). And I have a cold. But, overall, I am sooo much better! 

Baby is the size of a lemon this week - 3 1/2 inches long, an ounce and a half in weight, and able to make faces, pee, and suck his/her thumb! Crazy, right?

I'm pretty sure I've felt baby move a few times. 

And I've definitely already had at least one Braxton Hicks contraction (wha?!?!). Everyone says it's normal to notice them way sooner the second time around, but it still realllly weirded me out. And now I keep wondering if I'm having them every time my stomach feels weird at all. 

Speaking of stomach, check out this baby bump:

Yup, that was 2 weeks ago (before I chopped my hair off - it's up to my shoulders now!). Definitely more bump than I had with Samuel at that stage! Everyone says you show sooner with subsequent pregnancies. I've actually gained *less* weight, so I'm just going to assume that's all baby. Hopefully it won't be crazy big like his/her daddy was! 

I haven't been able to get the video upload to work, but here are Samuel's cute little announcements. He randomly remembers we are having a baby about once a day and gets really excited about talking to my stomach. He also changes his mind about whether it's a boy or girl about 5 times a week. :-)

I guess the next big thing to look forward to is finding out whether it IS a boy or a girl - October 20! It's hard to believe it's only 4 weeks away! Until then, we will just keep praying this little lemon is healthy and happy in there. :-) 

Weight Gain: 2-3 lbs

Aversions/Cravings: I HAD to have a hot dog the other day. I seriously barely even like hot dogs. I also had a major  burger craving one night last week. And a few cereals still gross me out, as well as cooking meat. Other than that, I'm much more normal, though! 

Sleep: If my child would quit waking up, the cat would quit sneaking in my room, and the baby would quit jumping on my bladder, I'd be good to go. Haha. As it stands, I'm up 1-2 times to pee and often 1-2 other times to take care of my other "kids." I usually am out from 1-7 though, so I can't complain too much about a solid 6 hours. ;-) 

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling these kicks non stop! And getting out of the "fat" stage. I really don't look preggo right now, just kind of frumpy. Oh well. Worth it!

13 Weeks - Hello, 2nd Trimester!

I'm going to have to keep this brief. And maybe come back to it later. Samuel is downstairs NOT napping. Story of my life right now!

We've gotten to hear baby's heartbeat a TON thanks to borrowing a doppler from a friend. It's been the best thing ever! I still can hardly believe there's a whole other person growing inside me again!

First trimester was pretty brutal. I slept. A lot. I'm still tired and nauseous, but thankfully it's starting to abate. I'm down to only peeing once a night (woo!) instead of 3-4 times, and I can go to bed at 10-11 instead of 8:30. And I only occasionally nap.

Also, I finally seem to be able to run again! Yay! After going almost 4 weeks without, it has felt AMAZING! I'm still taking it kind of easy, but I've gone twice with no repercussions, so hopefully I will be good to go for the rest of my pregnancy!

We told Samuel about the baby this week and announced it on facebook, etc. It was funny, and I'll have to post the video on here once I get it uploaded.

The funniest thing was later in the day, when Samuel started looking down and up my shirt, going, "Where are you baby?? I don't see you!! It is your big brother SAMUEL!!!"

Haha.

Anyway, he's seriously freaking out. Hopefully I won't wait 3 more weeks to post again. ;-)